


Veneficus Delectus Semel

by SupernaturalHearts



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cliche, Consensual Underage Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Fix-It, M/M, Master of Death Harry Potter, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Referenced Past Relashionships, Slytherin Harry, other relationship tags to be added - Freeform, time travel (sorta)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-02 05:52:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6553555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturalHearts/pseuds/SupernaturalHearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At midnight the night of Harry's 10th birthday a blank book appears from nowhere to fall onto his lap.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So my first foray into the world of Harry Potter and I figured I'd go the cliched root of writing a time travel fic (sorta). I am hoping that I can put my own spin on it though. This is un-beta'd and I am looking for one since my grammar is horrible and I'd like to have someone to bounce ideas off of. 
> 
> Pairing: Tom Riddle/Harry Potter/Lucius Malfoy (I do want to add Snape and/or Rabastan but I'm not sure yet. Lemme know what you all think.)
> 
> 7/29/16 Now being beta'd by Vampygurl402. Every beta'd chapter will have this note with the date, if you have already read this chapter not to worry there are only minor grammar changes.
> 
> Disclaimer: I am much to perverted to own this.

**Chapter 1**

 

**September 2515**

Green eyes, once glowing with life and power, now dull and lifeless, looked up at the cloaked figure hovering above his bed. He had seen what was beneath that cowl once, their first meeting; horribly beautiful and terrifyingly kind. The being was a contradiction of all things.

“I won’t be able to see you or talk to you, right?”

“No Master.” The being’s dulcet voice was a lure to what should be his final rest, but that was not meant to be.

“You’re sure they will come back to me?” His question was filled with doubt; Death had been his constant companion for so long that to know they were parting, even if it was temporary, was terrifying.

“There is a reason only you have been able to collect and hold on to all of my Hallows and since I am only rewinding time and not sending you elsewhere you will collect them again, however there is a possibility that it may be sooner this time. Now, stop stalling you do not have much time left.”

“I’m sorry. I will miss you my friend.” He replied sadly and looked down at the plain black book in his frail hands. The book was almost an exact replica of a diary he had destroyed long ago, that was the reason he had chosen it for this. A pale hand landed gently on his shoulder jolting him from his thoughts.

“Just because you will not be able to see me does not mean that I will not be there; I will check in on you as often as I am able. However, I will not be able to interfere until you have all of my Hallows within your possession but you will have Magic and Fate to guide you on your way, you have only to ask for assistance.”

“Thank you for everything, my friend. I will look forward to our next meeting.” And with those final words he took the innocuous looking book between both hands and closed his eyes. He gathered as much of his failing magic as he could and pushed it all into his hands and the book. “Mother Magic hear my plea. Help me with this last matter so that I may undo all the wrong that has been done unto you.” Tears leaked from under closed eyelids as Magic gathered around him. _She was so weak._

_My Child._ She ‘spoke’ and Her ‘voice’ was a soothing balm to his troubled mind. _I thank you for your sacrifice. You already know what to do. Gather it all; your memories, knowledge and feelings. I will seal them along with your conscious mind and embed them in the book. To release the bind you just need to say, Solvo Mentis Intra. Are you ready Child?_

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come. It was only a matter of minutes before Magic gathered enough strength to do what she needed. A bright blue-green light lit the dim room and the book fell from limp hands.

The cloaked figure picked up the book and tucked it into his robes for safekeeping until just the right time. The man was now a clean slate and the cloaked being could now safely rewind time without the worry that all of his precious knowledge would be lost. He looked down into blank eyes and began to unravel time back to the start or end depending on how you looked at it.

Death stopped time, appearing before the small white door to the cupboard under the stairs. He passed through the door and knelt next to the mattress that held a small child. He waited for just the right moment before dropping the small innocuous looking book in his lap. Death watched the child startle and turned to leave. “Until next we meet.” He whispered as he disappeared.                    

 

**July 1990**

A little boy lay on a hard mattress covered only by a thick blanket; he stared into the darkness above his head and waited. Soon he would be 10, a few more minutes and he would be another year closer to leaving his relatives behind. He always stayed up and waited until midnight the night before his birthday, it was his tradition and he had been doing it since he could remember. He always lay in bed and daydreamed about the life he would have when they were no longer around.

He was startled from his daydream when something landed on his legs with a dull thump. The boy sat up carefully and reached down for whatever it was cautiously. Calloused fingers met something warm, smooth and rectangular. He blinked in surprise, it was a book but it was unlike any book he had ever picked up before. The pages were thick and it pulsed almost as if it had a heartbeat.

He clasped one hand around the book and levered himself up off his dingy mattress with the other. He was lucky they hadn’t locked the cupboard door; he pushed it open quietly and stuck his head out, listening for anyone who might happen to be awake. When he was met with complete silence he tiptoed to the kitchen to get a better look at this book that appeared from thin air.

It was a small, leather bound book with blank pages; like a diary or journal. He frowned down at the seemingly average looking book. No matter what his so called family said, he wasn’t stupid; too many odd things have happened to him and the way his relatives look at him and call him freak, and he certainly knew how to add. Now he just had to figure out what exactly was he supposed to do with a blank book that appeared out of nowhere.

Well, it was blank so that meant that someone was supposed to write in it. He shrugged his shoulders and figured he’d give it a try: the worst that could happen was nothing. So he grabbed a torch from under the kitchen sink and a pen from one of the drawers and scurried back to his cupboard, making sure to close the door quietly behind him.

He turned the torch on and laid it to the side, pointing to the wall nearest him. Lying the book down in front of the torch light he opened it to the first blank page and paused. _What was he supposed to write in the bloody book?_ He hadn’t thought this far ahead. He chewed on the end of the pen while he contemplated what he was supposed to do now.          

He sighed and just wrote.

**_Why did you come to me?_ **

He rolled his eyes at himself. It wasn’t like the stupid book was going to answer him. Then something decidedly odd happened. The words seemed to melt into the page and he jerked his hands back afraid that the same thing would happen to him. Then words began appearing just below where his faded.

**_Hello Harrison. That is a very simple question with a very complicated answer._**  

Harry just stared at the newly appeared words trying to figure out what just happened. When he thought the book wouldn’t answer him, he was being sarcastic. Now he was very confused and a little scared to be honest.

**_My name is Harry and how is this happening?_ **

**_Harry is short for something. Anyone with a pureblooded parent wouldn’t name their child something so mundane. As for how this is happening, that’s part of the ‘complicated answer’._ **

**_What?_ **

**_Oh I suppose I went on a bit of a rant there. It has been so long that I had forgotten how we grew up and on top of that you’re only 10. Well, I guess the best place to start would be…I’m sure you’ve noticed all the odd things that happen to you, well that is because you are a wizard Harrison. As for me, I am a magical book with the knowledge, memories and magic of another person._ **

**_I would like to say I don’t believe you but I am talking to a book. Who and why do you have all that stuff from them?_ **

**_We don’t have the time for me to answer that question tonight. As it is you are going to be tired tomorrow and you have a lot of chores to get through so you should get some sleep and I will explain all when you next go to bed._ **

**_I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep much. Who could when they have a magical book and was just told they were a wizard?_ **

**_I am sorry and I know you have many questions but I don’t want you to lose anymore sleep because of me. I promise as soon as we have more time I will explain everything._ **

**_Okay. Goodnight Book._ **

**_Goodnight Harrison._ **

Harry closed the book, shut off the torch and hid all three items under his mattress. He place his glasses in a safe spot and laid back down forcing his mind to clear so he could get a little bit of sleep.

...

Morning dawned very bright and much too early for Harry. He was startled from sleep by loud banging and his Aunt’s shrill voice yelling that he had 5 minutes to use the loo and then he needed to get started on breakfast for everyone.

Harry scrambled from his cupboard and rushed to the bathroom to do his business before scurrying to the kitchen. He had half his mind on the cooking while he thought up a dozen different questions for the book.

The rest of the day was spent doing his long list of chores, the worst of which was gardening; between the heat and lack of food Harry had to stop often and for very short periods of times so that his Aunt wouldn’t catch him slacking off.

He was finally able to take a quick cool shower after making and serving dinner for the Dursleys. For once he was excited to get back to his cramped cupboard. The light from the sitting room dimly lit the small space so he had no reason to pull out the torch just the book with the pen tucked between the pages.

**_Do you have a name? I can’t keep calling you book and since you hold the memories from a person I am guessing that you do._ **

**_Yes I have a name and I am going to explain a few things before I tell you what it is. The person who made this book was a wizard from the year 2515._ **

**_Why?_ **

**_Magic is dying Harrison and with the help of Magic and Death the wizard used the last of his own slowly draining core to create this book._ **

**_What happened to him? And how did he get the book to this time?_ **

**_Well, the wizard poured everything but his soul into this book so after Magic bound it all together and he became a clean slate; almost like a baby just before it’s born. After that Death rewound time._ **

**_Why didn’t he just keep all that stuff if Death could rewind time?_ **

**_If he had kept everything he would have lost it all when time was rewound because everything that had been done, Death undid._ **

**_Oh, that makes sense. So Magic is dying; the person who made you, Magic, and Death all worked together to send you back here to do what? Stop that from happening?_ **

**_Essentially._ **

**_So why come to me?_ **

**_Before I explain that I must tell you that no matter what I say, your life is yours. I will not make you do anything you don’t want and if you say so I will help you disappear and figure out a way to accomplish what I need to._ **

**_Okay, now I’m a little scared but tell me anyways._ **

**_You are one of a handful of Magic’s chosen children. That means you and the others are the ones who will be able to aid in her survival. I know you are only 10 years old and you don’t deserve to have this kind of thing put on your shoulders so young but none of us have much of a choice._ **

**_If that’s so then why are you giving me one?_ **

**_Because Harrison the person who made this book, his name was Harrison James Potter-Black and for most of his life he was lied to and manipulated and given no choice. I contain all of his memories, his conscious, and feelings. I am you basically and I won’t do to you what others have done to me and eventually you._ **

Harry’s mind blanked and it took him a few minutes to process everything he was just told. The person who made this book was him from the future; he lived to be 535 (it took him another minute to count that out) and two sorts of divine/mythical beings? Entities? Needed his and a few others help to save Magic. Okay, that probably wasn’t all but for now those were the biggest things he could focus on.

Harry wasn’t sure of the things his future self had gone through or been made to go through but he did appreciate the truth and the illusion of an option to back out. Only there really wasn’t much choice, he just learned that he was a wizard and there was no way he was going to give that up. With his mind made up he began writing again.

**_What do I need to do?_ **

**_Are you sure this is the path you want to take? It won’t be easy I assure you that. There is a way for you to receive every piece of me from this book and I warn you now I have done many things that you may not approve of as well as had many things done to me that are not pleasant. The best guarantee that I can make is that it will seem as if you were someone else watching._ **

**_So I will know everything you know about magic and how to do it and what to do to stop it from dying?_ **

**_I don’t know everything but 500 years has given me a lot of time to learn much. You will gain knowledge of Magic and our world but it will take practice for you to master spells and I only have a rough idea of how to go about stopping the death of Magic.  The others will be able to help as well._ **

**_How come you and the others weren’t able to do anything?_ **

**_We didn’t have enough warning before wizards, witches, and magical creatures started dying. We tried but with as little time as we had, we slowly started dying as well._ **

**_Anything else I need to know before I do this, besides knowing how?_ **

**_You will probably end up with a headache worse than anything you have ever had to endure because of the sheer amount of knowledge and memories you will receive. The Magic and conscious part will repair something as it passes through you and when those are done they will integrate with your conscious and magic._ **

**_There’s something wrong with me?_ **

**_Not wrong per say, just something in you that wasn’t meant to be. Nothing to worry about you will understand more once you have all the memories. Before I tell you what to do, do you remember the feeling you had before anything odd happened to you?_ **

Harry thought back to what happened in class when he turned the teacher’s hair blue and when he appeared on that roof when he had been running from Dudley and his gang.

**_Sort of._ **

**_Okay, close your eyes and try to regain that feeling; the tingling rush that you got before everything happened and when you can feel it try to imagine gathering a small amount of it into a small ball in your hand._ **

Harry closed his eyes and remembered and felt. It took much longer than he thought it might to find what he was feeling for but eventually he did feel it; the tingling rush of power almost like electricity right in the pit of his stomach. He knew he wasn’t seeing with his eyes but if he had been, he imagined he’d have been blind from looking at the bright blue-green ball of power. He pictured drawing a thread of magic and wrapping it much like a ball of yarn until it was coin sized. Once that was done he sort of pushed it up from his stomach to his chest and shoulder, he could feel it coursing down his arm and his whole palm began tingling.

Harry opened his eyes slowly and saw the small ball of magic sitting in his palm. He laughed breathlessly and finally realized he was sweating and out of breath. He let go of the magic and it faded instantly. He used the bottom of his overly large shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and could feel exhaustion starting to set in.

**_I did it. I have no idea how long it took but that was hard and now I’m really tired._ **

**_Yes, gathering your magic like that is very tiring but also good for you.  It will help you with control and strengthening your core. But now that you are able to access your core you will be able to do what needs to be done. When you’re ready place both hands on the book, you need to want this to happen, truly want it and will it with Magic. If you are absolutely sure say these words with intent and will, Solvo Mentis Intra.  If you don’t want it or have any doubts it will not work._ **

**_I am ready._ **

Harry placed both hands on open diary, gathered his magic and channeled it to his hands. “Solvo Mentis Intra.” He said his voice low but clear.

For one second Harry was afraid that he might have done it wrong, and then it started; the rapid fire of images flickering behind his eyelids, too fast to keep up with, and the feelings associated with them. He bit his lip, forcing himself to be quiet while tears streamed down his face. It felt like hours later when the chaos inside his head finally died down and when the pain hit, he blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is a little shorter than I would have liked but since there will be a bit of a time skip I figured I would end it where it was. I have no intention of rehashing all of the books so the next chapter will be a lot of explanations and then the letter and Harry's trip to the Alley. I am also seriously considering just making this a small male harem since I still can't make up my mind between Severus and Rabastan and people don't seem to mind either way.
> 
> This chapter has now been beta'd. No major changes, just punctuation and grammar. Thanks once again to Vamygurl402.

**Chapter 2**

 

A few hours later, Harry woke with a shuddering gasp and curled himself into as small a ball as possible hoping that it would somehow ease the pain in his head. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, his head throbbed along with his heartbeat and felt like every memory and piece of knowledge was fighting to spit his head wide open.

Harry couldn’t move, couldn’t think; he just clutch his hands over his eyes and hoped they stayed right where they were, in his head. And as sudden as the pain came, it was gone. He inched his hands down and cracked open one eye. His eyes shot wide open and a panicked squeak left his mouth. For a moment he thought that something might have gone wrong and now he was blind, but when he raised his hands he could clearly see them as well as the rest of himself. But all around him was nothing just inky darkness, there was no sound, not even his own heavy breathing, and he was standing; he didn’t remember getting up.

Before Harry could panic further a figure appeared in front of him. The man was only a few inches taller than himself and very familiar. The more he stared, the more he realized there was something very odd about the man standing in front of him. His form wavered almost like the air on a hot summer day and he had a faint glow about him.

“What...Who are you?” Harry asked, surprised when his voice came out soft but clear.

The man smiled softly. “I am an amalgamation of all the knowledge, memories, and power held within the journal.”

Harry looked at the person (he couldn’t bring himself to refer to him as a thing or being because really he wasn’t) confused. “What’s an amalgamation?” He asked slowly sounding out the word.

The man chuckled in amusement. “It’s a combination of things. I am just an image that has formed from everything that was once contained in the book. I will be a sort of guide to help you learn to meditate and Occlude. I will be here to help you organize over 500 years of memories and knowledge and once that is done the magic that holds me here will meld with your own core.”

Well that certainly explained why he seemed familiar, if the journal held memories of his future self than the image it produced would be himself only older. So Harry took a good long look at the person he would have become had none of this happened. His hair was slightly shorter and neater, the odd dress like garment he was wearing hung off of his frame and he was thin and pale; sickly looking. “Were you sick?” Harry asked quietly.

“In a way I suppose. You remember I told you that magic was dying,” Harry nodded. “Well our magic is like the blood that runs through our veins and runs much the same way like a magical circulatory system, but you’ll learn about that as we go. I made a study of it once I found out that magic was dying. Anyway to make a long story short, just like if you bleed too much you will eventually die, it’s the same with our magic; we cannot live without it. Our magical circulatory system forms as we do in the womb and when we die our magic is supposed to go back to Mother Magic almost like reincarnation, but since our bodies were bleeding magic when we died from that loss there was nothing to go back to Her and less magical beings were born every year. I was very close to death when I made the journal that’s why I look sick.”

That was terrifying and if Harry hadn’t been resolved to help before, he certainly would be now. He had so many questions he wanted to ask but wasn’t sure where to start, fortunately he was stopped before he went on a tangent. “Tonight when you lay down for bed I will teach you how to meditate and then Occlude, so that you can start sorting through all the memories you now possess. But for now I will hold everything apart from your conscious mind so that you do not suffer. Now you must wake, Petunia is coming.”

With a quick intake of air he opened his eyes to find himself still curled up on his side and a lingering ache at the back of his head, he could deal with that compared to the agony he felt before. Then his Aunt was banging on the door and yelling in her shrill voice for him to get up. Harry heaved a sigh and got ready to start another day with too much work and too little food.

…

That night signaled the beginning of Harry’s lessons in meditation and after a week it became abundantly clear that he was just not very good at clearing his mind and when he mentioned this, it was met with a chuckle and ‘just be thankful I am not the person who tried to teach me’. It also did not help that he had a million and one questions that his future self refused to answer, he would only ever tell Harry to be patient that he would know all as soon as he mastered meditating.  He claimed he didn’t want to confuse Harry and so with much reluctance he tried to push all his questions to the back of his mind and focus.

It took Harry 9 days just to learn how not to fall asleep while meditating and that seemed to be the hardest part, once he had gotten that down it only took another week before he had mastered it enough to start learning what Occlumency was and how to do it.

…

**July 17 1990**

For the most part things went the same as they usually did. Harry lay on his mattress, his hands resting lightly on his stomach and his eyes closed as he found his center. That place inside himself that was perfectly calm and he was happy.

The magical construct that was Harry’s future self, allowed the younger boy to settle in that space before instructing him to turn his mind inward.

Once again Harry was in that black space that was not dark with his older self standing comfortably in front of him. “This is where we were before. And it’s in my mind?” Harry asked a little confused.

“Not in, it’s a part of your mind. Think of it like an antechamber; this will be where you set up your defenses against anyone trying to enter your mind and someone with that ability is called a Legilimens and they practice the art of Legilimency. That is not a skill we will ever possess, we may be able to enter someone’s mind but we will never have the skill or finesse to do it without someone knowing that we are there.”

“Enough about that for now, what we are going to start doing now is sorting through all memories and knowledge; yours as wells as mine and putting them all in their rightful place. I do have to tell you that while we are doing this you will live through every memory: ones that have already happened and ones that will or may not happen. There are only a handful of memories that I will shield you from and it will be like you are a third party but you need to experience as much as possible and once we finish the magic that holds me here will merge with your own core.” The construct told him gravely.

“So you won’t be here after?” Harry asked sadly. The older man in front of him may not be real in a way but he was there and he kept Harry’s loneliness at bay.  

“Not as you see me now. I will become a part of your magic since I _am_ essentially _your_ magic, but it nothing to worry about for now, we have just a little over a year to accomplish this and by this time next year you will know everything you need to.” Harry nodded and pushed aside his sadness in order to concentrate; this was much more important.

“Right now inside your head is a mass of controlled chaos which makes it harder for you to remember things and control your emotions. You won’t even have to wait until we finish to see results, once we are finished here tonight you should feel calmer and you will also gain perfect recall.”

“What’s that?” Harry tilted his head slightly in curiosity.

“Technically is called having an Eidetic Memory, and someone who has that can remember everything they have ever seen, smelt, touched and tasted; ever. Now most people who have a memory like this has been born with it but once you have organized your mind you will have trained it to remember and you will be able to revisit those memories.”

“Woah!” He breathed in wonder.

The older man laughed lightly at Harry’s awestruck look. “It is a very useful ability to possess but it can also be a very painful ability to possess; to not ever forget anything, good or bad. While we do have some happy memories, we have more bad and I just hope that you will not make the same mistakes I have.”

“I’ll do my best,” Harry answered hesitantly and wondered what kind of mistakes they had made in the future and just how bad those mistakes were.

“Nothing to worry about just yet. Right now we need to work on building your mindscape, which is just what it sounds like, a landscape within your mind. Everyone’s mindscape is different even if they are built in similar ways because everyone has different experiences. It will become anything you want it to be from a single room to a whole house, a field or forest, a school or library.” He explained.

“What was yours?” Harry inquired.

“A school; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to be specific. Everything I wanted to keep hidden was put inside the school, disguised as pictures, tapestries and books. The stone walls were the second line of defense and the first line was the wards that surrounded the school except those wards were made of inane memories that I didn’t mind being seen by anyone who tried getting into my mind. The school was my home for a long time.”

“I am guessing that’s where I’ll be going, but when?”

“There is a reason I said we only have about a year to complete this task. About a week before your next birthday you will receive your letter of invitation to attend and on September 1st you’ll board the train that will take you there. You’ll know everything you need to before then.”  He waited for Harry’s nod of assent and decided it was time to start.

“Now what I want you to do is close your eyes and picture a door and behind that door will be your mindscape and where we will store all your memories; you only need to picture it.” He quieted in order to give his younger self time to think and wondered what the boy would come up with.

When he finally opened his eyes, Harry saw an ornate wood door standing against the pitch black that surrounded them. “Go on and open it,” He told the boy as he just stood there and stared at it.

Harry flinched slightly at the sudden sound and moved slowly toward the door. He put his hand on the cool brass knob and hesitated slightly before turning it and easing the door open cautiously.

The man stepped through the door behind Harry and gazed around in wide eyed surprise at the beauty and elegance surrounding them. He had to dig deep to remember what this place is and how he knows of it. His younger self had gone to the library a few weeks before his journal appeared to get away from his Uncle and he found a book on architecture that someone had left out. They sat at the table and opened the book and daydreamed about his perfect home when he came across a picture of a library. The St. Florian Monastery Library; a beautiful place with its glowing light wood, floor to ceiling bookshelves and artistically crafted canopy like ceiling. The whole place radiated serenity and solitude; vast knowledge and wisdom.

The only problem was the chaos scattered all around the spacious room. Books, papers and photos that represented different memories could be found stacked on tables and on the floor and chairs. He looked down at his younger self and hated to take the peaceful look off his face but they had a lot of work to do so he clapped his hands together to get his attention, “Well time to get started, we will start with your earliest memory and go from there.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The longest chapter so far and it has taken me a little longer than expected because I've been working on 2 other fics as well. It has been decided that the final pairing will consist of Tom/Lucius/Harry/Severus with a side of Rabastan/Bella/Rudo and others I haven't thought of yet.
> 
> Beta: Vampygurl402
> 
> Edited 8/24/16 - Nothing major except for grammar and added some description that was needed.

**Chapter 3**

 

**January 1991**

It took just over 6 months just to sort the memories up to the battle of Hogwarts; it was not an easy task to undertake considering he had school and chores on top of learning everything the older man wanted him to know. The older refused to say anything until they had gotten through that much and only comforted his younger self during the worst of the memories. And in the end he watched in horror as his older self walked to his death with Voldemort’s final defeat following swiftly behind.

Harry knew he was young and shouldn’t be able to understand everything his older self had went through but with those memories came knowledge and all he could do was look up at him and ask ‘why’.

He must have understood the question because he gave Harry the answer he was looking for, even if it wasn’t very satisfying, “Hindsight is always 20/20. I allowed myself to be led along on a leash from the very beginning. Letting Hagrid control my finances instead of me asking the Goblins myself, letting myself be poisoned against Slytherins and talking the hat out of putting me where I rightfully belonged was just the start and by the time I sat at the Gryffindor table it was too late to stop everything from progressing further.”

“While I loved Hermione and Ron they weren’t the best friends I ever could have had, they were just good friends. Ron’s loyalty was conditional and Hermione was too much like a mother than a friend and that was something I didn’t need. Even Neville had problems with being my friend because of his personality but Luna never wavered, not once.”

“I would have had problems no matter where I went at that time though because of the need to kill Voldemort and I didn’t know what I know now but at least I would have been true to myself. I spent so many years lying to myself; putting up the brave brash Gryffindor face and sneaking around in the shadows and getting away with it for the most part.” He sighed in resignation.

“I married a woman that I loved but was never _in_ love with and started a family. I was never unfaithful and I don’t regret our children but I do regret some of the choices I made.“  That same regret was coloring the older man’s voice.

“I know from everything I’ve seen so far that there was no one you were in love with but it’s obvious to me that you had been attracted to Draco Malfoy, is there a reason you never did anything about it after the war? Is the Wizarding World like the Muggle World that way?” Harry asked. There was no judgment, this was after all himself he was talking to and would save him from self-discovery and denial later on.

“No, they are very open-minded about that sort of thing. Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas were the school’s worst kept secret. Bonding, the Wizarding version of marriage, to the same sex or even multiple people is accepted; though Purebloods mostly stick to traditional arranged marriages. But yes I did find Draco very attractive, however a relationship, even if I had wanted to pursue him, would not have worked out. Our mutual disdain for each other would not have allowed for that, we were only nodding acquaintances after the war.

I married Ginny because it was expected, as was becoming an Auror, and though I preferred men over women, I cared too much what others thought of me to pursue a relationship I would have been happy in. There is not much of my life that I have not done because it was expected of me until we figured out that Magic had been dying and during that time while I hadn’t been miserable I certainly was not happy.”

The older man turned and placed his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “Just remember that just because there are important things that need to be done, it doesn’t mean that you are unimportant. Do what makes you happy in the process even if what makes you happy is to leave the Wizarding World to their own devices. We are the same person and not at the same time, what I want may not be what you want and that is okay. This will sound very cheesy but follow your heart, don’t discount your gut instinct and don’t second guess yourself.”

“Okay,” Harry told him resolutely. He had no intention of leaving the Wizarding World, he may have only experienced it second hand but he knew that was where he belonged and he would do whatever it took to save the only place where his home would be. “What about the piece of Tom’s soul we hold?”

“Well that is actually something that, once I figured it out much later in my life, made me actually hate Dumbledore, no matter how well meaning he was. What you have to understand is each time we took out a piece of his soul it was sent to a place to wait, the place that is in between life and death and it stayed there until I became whole only to move on to the afterlife; that’s what we did. What I didn’t know is that we could have saved Tom and I didn’t have to die.”

“There is a ritual that can be used to remove the piece of soul so it can be contained in something else or can be combined with another ritual so the soul can be put back in its original body. What is so bad is the removal ritual is for cleansing dark magic from things and Curse Breakers and Unspeakables learn it. As an Auror it wasn’t something I ever had to learn since we only contain but I came across it when I was looking for a way to save Magic and it was something that Dumbledore would have known.”

“One of the things you will have to do is save Tom. In his early years he had some very good ideas that got lost in his insanity because he split his soul too many times and every time drove him further over the deep end, just know that you and Nagini hold the smallest pieces and if you decide to remove the one you hold you will lose the ability the speak Parseltongue and do Parsel Magic as well as lose the connection you have to him. You definitely have to reintegrate all the pieces from the objects though; with his plans combined with your own after he has regained his sanity, it will go a long way to helping you complete your goal if you choose to save Magic.”

“Is it doing anything to me?” Harry wanted to know if there were any down sides before he made his decision.

“Well your body was not meant to house two souls even if you are only holding a part of one so your Magic was trying to wall it off but that partition was constantly sapping your Magic. When you accepted the Magic from the book I used a portion of it to create a block of sorts. Now when you are in Tom’s presence or if he touches you, it will no longer be painful but you will have to use your blood in the ritual to bring him back in order for him to touch you without you killing him.”

“With the block the connection still runs both ways but you will have to consciously have to open it for him to use his side of it. Otherwise there are no problems with it being there. Keep in mind that I cannot be 100 percent sure about anything since there is very little information on Horcruxes so most of what I know is guess work. Just be aware of it.”  

“Okay, it can stay,” Harry said decisively. “I like the idea of speaking with snakes.” He smiled wryly.

The older man ruffled Harry’s messy locks, “Me too.”

Harry’s grin turned rueful. It was ironic that the first affectionate touch he could remember from this life came from himself.

“Any other questions?”

Harry scrunched up his face in thought and shook his head. “Not that I can think of.”

“Okay, time for sleep. We will continue tomorrow night.”

…

**May 1991**

When all was said and done, the library that was a part of Harry’s mindscape was clean; no longer were there stray papers and books. The shelves were full and towering higher than they had been and a new door had appeared. His older self had shown him that was how he could access his core and now thanks to that and the block on Tom’s soul his Magic was more powerful, steadier, and easier to command. They had also worked on his defenses from outside intrusions.

…

“It’s time Harry. You know everything I know and there is no reason to delay any longer. Just remember to take down the trace ward around the house and practice.  Your Magic is like a muscle and needs to be used to grow. You may not be able to see or talk to me but I will always be here and it won’t be long before you make some friends.”

“Yeah, okay.” Harry knew this day was coming but it didn’t stop the loneliness from creeping in. Then the older man faded from sight and Harry closed his eyes as he _felt_ the familiar Magic meld with his core and flare slightly before settling just a tiny bit brighter than before.

…

Harry spent the next month and a half removing the trace, practicing wordless and wandless as well as masking his Magic; it would do no good for someone he didn’t want to know to find out just how much power he had.

Time flew by and before he knew it Dudley’s birthday had come and gone and Harry’s Hogwarts letter arrived. Harry slipped the letter into his back pocket quickly and handed the rest of the mail to Vernon.

That night he tore a page from the journal he kept and penned a response. Harry tip toed his way out of his cupboard and out the front door knowing that an owl should be waiting. He held the letter up with one hand and called out clearly but quietly, “Letter to be returned to Hogwarts.” He only had to wait a moment before it was snatched from his hand by sharp talons. He sighed in relief and went back inside to pack what few belongings he would be bringing with him because it all started tomorrow.

…

The next morning he was woken with the same pounding on the door as he has always been except this time he grabbed the least offensive thing he could find to dress in. Once he was done with his quick shower he shouldered the book bag he packed his stuff in and stood in the doorway to the dining room where his relatives were seated waiting for him to bring them their breakfast.

Vernon was the first to catch sight of the strap slung over his shoulder and opened his mouth to start shouting. Harry was in no mood to listen so he waved his hand; he stuck them to their seats and silenced them and sat down to wait. Harry watched Vernon’s mouth flap and his face turn red as he tried yelling and fought to stand. Dudley’s eyes darted fearfully between his father and Harry and Petunia made no move only looked at her nephew in disgust.

Finally Vernon stopped trying to do anything and stilled, his chest heaving from exertion. “If you’re finished I am here to inform you that yesterday I received my acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I have already sent back a confirmation of attendance. I am leaving today to get everything I need for the school year and I will not be returning, I highly doubt I will ever be back since I will be hiring a solicitor to find me an acceptable guardian from some distant family and no I will need no money from you since you have no idea the fortune my parents left me.” By the end of his speech Vernon had turned purple and Petunia was looking at Harry with horror in her eyes.

Harry smirked at them, “So I bid you to have a good life, I’ll be off now.”  He stood and once he reached the doorway he waved his hand to release them and made his way outside and to the nearest bus stop.  He was lucky to remember he needed to smuggle away some money because he had none to summon the Knight Bus as he would have preferred.

…

Harry stopped at the door to the Leaky Cauldron and made sure his bangs were covering his scar, then opened the door and entered. He approached the bar and cleared his throat to get Tom’s attention.

“Good morning young sir, my name is Tom, what can I do for you?”

“Good morning, my name is Harrison Evans,” Harry said politely, putting on the most innocent look he could muster. “I just got my letter for Hogwarts and I was told to come through here to get my supplies.”

“Oh yes, just follow me.” Tom stepped out from behind the bar and Harry followed him out the back door. Tom stopped at the brick wall leading to Diagon Alley, he looked over his shoulder at Harry.

“Just pay attention to the sequence and once you have your wand you will be able to come and go as you please,” he told him not knowing Harry already knew all this.

The portal opened and Harry stepped past the older man bidding him a good day, “And you as well Harrison, it was nice to meet you.” Harry nodded and made his way to Gringotts.

…

It was odd for Harry to have memories of a place he had never visited before and could only look around nostalgically. He entered the bank and stepped up to a free teller. A quick glance at the nameplate told him who he was to be speaking to. “Good day to you Kilgore, I would like to speak with the one who manages my family’s vaults.”

The Goblin leaned over to look down at Harry. “And who might you be?” Harry flipped his hair away from his forehead to show his scar. “Mr. Potter, just a moment,” Harry flattened his hair back over his scar and waited for the Goblin to come back.

He returned with a familiar Goblin following behind. Kilgore climbed back onto his stool while the other stopped in front of Harry. “Good day Mr. Potter I am Ragnok.”

Harry bowed to the Goblin, “Good day Ragnok, may your vaults overflow with gold.”

“And may your enemy’s blood flow freely.” He returned the traditional greeting. “What can I do for you Mr. Potter?”

“I need to speak with you about a few personal matters.”

“Very well follow me.” Ragnok spun and Harry followed through a door and down a hallway. They made their way to an office, Harry wait to be seated until Ragnok had settled behind his desk.

“First I would like a new master key issued only to myself, the one that Albus Dumbledore holds I would like to be discontinued. Next I know have no access to my family vaults until I am either emancipated or of age but I would like a monthly statement of all vaults, and a file of all holdings and properties, sent to myself only. Lastly I need something to carry my money in and a way to charge things to my account so I don’t have to visit here so often.”

“Right,” Ragnok opened a drawer and pulled out a small gold key to set in front of Harry, he handed the boy a ceremonial dagger as well. “Smear a drop of blood on the key and that will become your primary one. If you do not have a correct amount of money on you while shopping you can tell the shopkeeper you would like to charge your purchases and they will take care of it for you. As for mail orders there will be a slip you will have to fill out and a space for your vault number and signature, just sign and place a drop of blood next to it.”

“I have made note for your monthly statements to come directly to you and since you have requested it they cannot be intercepted by another unless you say otherwise. Before you leave you will receive an updated file on all vaults, holdings and properties.” He opened another drawer and pulled out a small black drawstring bag and placed it in front of Harry. “This is an endless pouch; it has anti loss and anti-theft charms on it. Now the new key, the updated file, and bag will cost you 20 Galleons total; the monthly statements are a free service offered.”

“Please take the cost from my vault.” Harry told him gratefully. By the time he had gotten around to doing this in the future things had changed a little, he couldn’t wait until they came out with the Wizarding version of a credit card but for now he would have to deal.

“Will there be anything else Mr. Potter?”

Harry sucked in a breath, he’d almost forgotten. “My Heir ring, I would like that.”

Ragnok got up and opened the door calling something out in Gobbledygook before turning back to Harry. “You should be able to find the Potter Heir ring in your trust vault.” Another Goblin appeared behind Ragnok. “This is Griphook; he will take you to your vault. Good day Mr. Potter.”

“You as well Ragnok,” Harry shut the office door behind him and followed Griphook to the cart that would take them to his vault.

“Vault 687, please make haste Mr. Potter.” Harry climbed from the cart and opened the door. He summoned the ring and clenched it tightly for a moment before placing it on his right middle finger, it resized to fit him and he quickly laced 3000 Galleons in the money pouch. He had a lot he needed to do and this wouldn’t even make a dent in this vault never mind the others. He left the vault and climbed back into the cart.

“Before I leave I also need to exchange some of the money from my vault into 1000 pounds.”

“It will be done Mr. Potter.” Griphook claimed and then they were speeding back to the surface. Griphook led Harry to a teller and informed him of what was needed. The Goblin came back and handed Harry the muggle money as well as a file full of parchment and let him know the correct amount would be removed from his vault.

…

Harry’s first stop was to get a trunk; there was no point in going all out but he wasn’t going to just settle for a standard school trunk either. So he picked a specialized 5 compartment trunk. It was protected by a password with a hidden compartment that was protected by a separate password and his initials engraved on a silver plate on the front.

His next stop was Madam Malkin’s where he purchased a set of dress robes, a handful of casual robes and enough school robes to last him the year; all charmed to grow with him even though he would never be all that tall.

He stopped at Flourish & Blotts, the Stationary Shop, the Apothecary, and Cauldron Shop to pick up all his school supplies. He darted through the crowded street to Eeylops Owl Emporium. All Harry had to do was enter the shop and there she was in all her snow white glory. Harry stood in front of her perch and raised a shaking hand to brush gently at her breast. It was so hard for him to separate memory from reality but right then he really didn’t care.

“Hello girl. You don’t know me but I know you, how would you like to come with me?” He spoke to her softly and when she nipped lightly at his fingers he had to push the sting from his eyes. He purchased her, a cage, a perch, and treats. Harry thought about renaming her but that didn’t feel right so he called her Hedwig once again.

Harry made his way to his final stop for the day, with Hedwig riding on his shoulder, which would have been Ollivander’s Wand Shop but he passed the Magical Menagerie and paused at the window contemplating if he actually wanted to go in. He was second guessing himself and his former selves words echoed in his mind. He had always wanted a snake but fear and prejudice held him back; now he wasn’t going to worry about that so he sent Hedwig up to perch on the sign and entered the shop.

Harry bypassed the multitude of cages and tanks that lined the front of the shop; none held what he was looking for. He found the snakes at the back of the shop and only one caught his eye; Harry had never seen another like it.  

The snake was a gleaming ruby red in color with a silver snout and looked to be maybe 2 feet long. _$Hello gorgeous.$_ Harry hissed quietly.

The snake raised its head and seemed to look Harry over before speaking. _$Thank you, I have never met a speaker before. What is it you want?$_

_$I would like for you to become my companion if you would approve.$_

The snake lowered his head and looked decidedly depressed, as much as a snake could anyway. _$A companion? You do not wish for me to be a familiar?$_

Harry’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, he hadn’t thought of that. _$I didn’t realize you were a magical snake. If you would like to become my familiar I would be very happy to have you.$_ He reached into the tank and allowed the snake to slither its way up his arm, that was about the time the shopkeeper spotted him and rushed over to warn Harry about how dangerous that snake was.

She stopped in her tracks when all the snake did was coil around Harry’s neck and hiss contentedly when Harry rubbed at the top of its head. “Uh, Sir. Can I help you?”

Harry turned to answer her, “What can you tell me about this beauty?”

She stayed far enough back that if the snake attacked she would not be in range, “That is a magical variety of Coastal Taipan, it is male and only has slight differences from its muggle relative.” She spoke as if reciting from a text book. “It is a deep red instead of a brick brown; it’s twice as venomous and will reach a full length of 7 and a half feet instead of just over 6. Right now he will eat mice and small rats but will move up to birds and rabbits.”

Harry nodded, “I’ll take him.” She looked at him skeptically, those types of snakes weren’t normally kept as pets but she was not going to argue with the boy holding a poisonous snake.

Harry left the shop happy with his decision. Outside Harry introduced his new familiar to Hedwig and bid them to get along. He sent Hedwig ahead to Ollivander’s to wait for him. There was a few minutes in between the Menagerie and Ollivander’s so Harry used a Parsel notice-me-not spell on the snake and found out he did not have a name. He decided to name it Nidhogg and the snake was immensely pleased to be named after The Dread Biter.

The trip to Ollivander’s went much the same way it had in his memories with the exception that the old man could see Nidhogg. He wondered and not for the first time, just what was Ollivander; but he never asked as Harry knew he would get no answer.

Harry located an Inn on Memorial Alley and procured a room for a week. He dropped off all his purchases and Hedwig, then visited an out of the way restaurant for a quick lunch before going back into muggle London to acquire a better wardrobe.

He made it back to the Inn in time for dinner and had the innkeeper send up a House Elf with food. Harry ate while magically directing all his belongings to his trunk. He spent an hour in the shower later on, reveling in the hot water and scrubbing himself clean. While standing in front of the mirror, drying his hair, Harry had a sudden bout of insight; A bunch of little dots that had finally connected to make a bigger picture.

When he was younger his Aunt had shaved his head and Harry had been so upset by that his Magic had reacted accordingly to make it re-grow over night so that by morning it was the same length as before. For years, in his memories, his hair had never changed; not shorter nor longer until he finally trimmed it when he became an Auror and was happy with it like that. But he still looked too much like his father and he knew that wouldn’t work now, not if he wanted to get Snape to help him (and he knew he needed Snape’s help, there was no getting around it). So he needed to do something about his looks besides the wardrobe change. Without the approval of a guardian he couldn’t get his eyes fixed permanently but he could visit an Oculist for a pair of glasses that fit him better and adjusted to his sight as he got older.

As he lay in bed that night he willed his Magic to do his bidding and pictured in his mind exactly what he wanted his hair to do. Harry fell asleep to Hedwig quietly preening her feathers and Nidhogg curled up on his chest. One week until he left for Hogwarts and Harry could not wait.

…

Harry found an empty compartment on the train and put a repelling and locking charm on the door, he had no wish to converse with anyone before he was sorted. He pulled out a muggle novel and settled down to read for the long ride.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wasn't planning on finishing this chapter today but whatever. Snape wrote himself and Blaise and Theo just kinda slithered their way in, damn Slytherins. So I know I kinda screwed up the timeline by a month but it seems I'm the only one who noticed so I'm leaving it like that and next school year will go back to the original timeline. So I hope you all enjoy.

**Chapter 4**

 

**August 1 1991**

The train ride was peaceful with only the occasional comment from Nidhogg. When he got the signal that it was time to change into his robes, he laid down a few rules for his soon to be familiar. If he wanted to travel around the castle without Harry, he needed to keep himself hidden from view unless Harry stated otherwise and Nidhogg was not to bite anyone unless Harry allowed it or to protect Harry.

Before Harry left his compartment he cast a subtle repelling charm on himself; everyone could see him but if anyone came close enough to him it would seem as if he were just not important enough to speak to. He made sure to keep himself to the rear of the group and when ushered into a boat and then carriage, he stuck with people he only recognized and had no significant memories of.

The sight of the castle all lit up at night was an awe inspiring sight that memory just could not match neither was the feeling of her Magic wrapping around him in welcome. Harry brushed his fingertips along the stone wall in greeting and was surprised when her Magic added a slight pressure around him like a hug. It seemed like Hogwarts was much more sentient than he had previously thought and that was a good thing.

Harry had been so lost in thought that he had missed McGonagall’s entrance and speech, when he finally snapped out of it she was already leading the first years through the doors into the Great Hall. Harry made sure to stay at the very back and dispel the charm with a quick wave of his hand.

…

Severus Snape sat at the head table waiting, impatiently, for Minerva to lead in the first years so that they could get the opening feast over and done with. He was not looking forward to this year or the ones to come after simply for the fact that _James Potter’s_ son was due to be sorted this very night. The Headmaster took great pride informing the staff at their last meeting and Severus had wished he could curse his existence or at least resign, but that was not to be.

If he had been less of a Slytherin he would have sighed dejectedly when Minerva finally entered the Great Hall followed by the first years. His eyes scanned the crowd of children and wanted to sneer at the sniveling brats. Severus listened to the Sorting Hat’s song with half an ear as his gaze swept past one student in the very back and then quickly back not sure if he was seeing who he thought he was.

The boy was standing in the very back giving the impression he was shy but that didn’t match his body language or the look on his face. He stood tall, proud but not arrogantly and he was small even by first year standards; his face was completely black there was no boredom, curiosity or anything for that matter. His face was just blank; his hair was done neatly, bangs that were long enough to cover his forehead were short enough not to get in his eyes and Severus couldn’t tell exactly how long his hair was but it was long enough that it looked to be tied back. The small square silver framed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose gave the boy an aristocratic look, he almost reminded him of Lucius only darker coloring.

Severus hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath until the boy bright green eyes met his own, only one person he had ever known had eyes like those and now he had confirmation on who exactly the boy was, _Harry Potter._ Severus let out a controlled breath and forced his expression to remain blank no matter how surprised he was at the child.

Harry and Severus didn’t break eye contact at all. Severus took pride in the fact that he was a _very_ skilled Legilimens and with that skill came the ability to tell when someone was lying to him and being able to read people very well, but right then he found he couldn’t get a read off of Potter at all. He wasn’t fidgeting nervously or looking around curiously like the rest of his year mates; He was just staring back blankly and it almost felt like a dare, but that wasn’t possible. The boy wouldn’t know what Legilimency was, he wouldn’t know who Severus was or that he was skilled in it.

But Severus Snape was, in the end, a Slytherin who loved a good riddle and that is just what Potter was shaping up to be so he figured it couldn’t hurt just to sneak a look. Unfortunately it seemed that the boy had some hidden talent because just as he slithered his way into Potter’s mind he was caught in something like a net and when a single sentence was projected into his own mind, his eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

**_It’s rude to enter a person’s mind without asking first Professor Snape._ **

Severus’ eyes narrowed in thought when he was gently pushed from the boy’s mind. He wished he could keep his preconceived notions about the Potter boy but he had come in here and shattered almost every one of them without even speaking a word. He finally turned away as his name was called and Severus caught a glimpse of long black hair loosely braided, hanging just below his shoulder blades. Whispers and exclamations broke out and Potter paid no attention to any of it just calmly made his way to the stool and sat without prompting.

…

As soon as he entered Harry’s gaze was drawn right to Dumbledore. I was a shame that the old man was blinded by his beliefs, it really was getting more and more difficult to differentiate between himself and the memories he held because all he felt when he looked upon the old man was disappointment. Dumbledore had, once upon a time, been like a grandfather to him but he didn’t have Harry’s best interests in mind nor was he doing the Wizarding World any good. It was a shame that he was going to have to end this Wizarding version of a civil war before any real progress could be made; Harry’s gaze skimmed over the rest of the teaching staff to be caught by fathomless onyx eyes.

Severus Snape the first person he would need to lure to his side and if he weren’t his father’s son it would be easy but he needed to convince Snape he was not James Potter and would never be, before he could start earning the man’s trust. Harry would have to say he had a good head start, he’d give the mad a week because he really did need his help; the Professor wasn’t sneering at him or looking at him with barely disguised disgust. He actually looked intrigued and that made the man appear more approachable.

Goose bumps prickled all over Harry’s body as he felt Snape enter his mind. It was almost like Nidhogg slithering over his bare skin only much more intimate. Harry suppressed a shudder and couldn’t stop himself from messing with Snape just a little, it probably wasn’t a good idea but Snape’s reaction was well worth it; he really had to force himself not to smile or laugh at the look on the Professor’s face and was glad to hear his name called so he could look away.

…

**_Well, well. What do we have here? This is certainly interesting. Oh dear. Well I can see you will not be arguing with me this time and I must agree with myself, you are certainly suited for Slytherin; even more so now. You would however do well elsewhere as well._ **

Harry stared blankly at the doors exiting the Great Hall and instead of speaking aloud like he had once done, he projected what he wanted to say to the hat.

**_Place me where I should be. You won’t be telling anyone anything you’ve seen?_ **

**_No, there is a charm placed on me to prevent me from saying anything at all. Very well. Better be…_ **

**“Slytherin!”** The hat shouted sending the Great Hall reeling and a ringing silence followed Harry as he made his way to his house’s table. It seemed as if the table was arranged by years with the seventh year students sitting closest to the exit and the first years seated closest to the head table. Harry spotted Draco with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him and Nott next to those three furthest away from the second years, Parkinson, Bulstrode and Greengrass across from them with Davis on the very end. Harry sat next to Nott and slightly apart.

Harry knew where the entrance to the Slytherin common room was and what it looked like, but he had no idea how the dorms were set up or what their hierarchy was like so he figured he’d just observe for the time being. He waited for the final first years to be sorted, Zambini and some girl with the last name of smith, and listened to Dumbledore’s opening speech with half an ear mentally snorting in derision at the warning to stay away from the third floor corridor.

It was so easy now to see the subtle manipulations, though Harry wondered what would happen if any student other than himself and whoever was with him, decided to go exploring. His counterpart was right hindsight is always 20/20. Harry ate quickly but neatly and followed the Prefect that introduced herself as Gemma Farley, down into the Dungeons where she informed them of the password; Purity, Harry wanted to roll his eye at the predictability.

Harry listened to Farley’s welcoming speech, which was surprising long-winded and was pleased to see what Slytherins were like behind closed doors. He could sense Snape’s presence at his back,, probably observing from the shadows, but ignored him in favor of appreciating the common room which was hauntingly beautiful and he wondered if he could speak with the stone snake that was mounted above the fireplace.

As the Prefect finally wound down she stepped aside and Snape finally his appearance, startling a few of the first years. “As you all should know, I am Professor Severus Snape; Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House. The most important thing to remember is that no matter what issue you have with another member of this house, once you enter the castle proper you will stand united. Next, if you get _caught_ doing anything against school rules the punishment you have to endure from me will be twice as bad as any other teacher and lastly if you need help of any kind my door is always open. If you cannot find me in my office and it is an emergency alert a Prefect and they will fetch me from my quarters.”

Harry admired Snape as he left the common room with a snap of his cape. He always could make a dramatic entrance and exit. Farley directed the first year girls to their dorm and the boys to theirs. Down a hall there were two doors, one on each side. Next to the door on the left side was a silver plate with D. Malfoy, G. Goyle and V. Crabbe engraved on it and the same on the other side except with Nott, Potter and Zabini.

He could deal with that, from what he remembered was Nott was fairly quiet and so was Zabini but they were both very observant and obviously cunning and he had the perfect way to keep his secrets quiet and contained and gain himself a couple of allies within the house as well.

The room was bigger than what he thought it might be, three large beds lined each wall and bracketed by end stands, with their trunks already situated at the bottom of the beds. A door, harry assumed to a bathroom they would share, was on the right wall far enough away from the bed on that side, that anyone sleeping on the bed would not be disturbed by it being opened or closed.

The beds were elegant with their green silk curtains but comfortable, there were no pictures but along the far wall to either side of the bed, there were two windows looking into the murky depths of Black Lake. Between the windows and the hanging lanterns, the room was awash in green.

Harry located his trunk at the end of the bed on the right side of the room; Zabini was next to Harry against the far wall and Nott on the other side of the room. He sat on the top of his trunk and waited for Nott and Zabini to get settled, it didn’t take long they almost immediately followed his lead. He held one finger to his lips and pointed another at the ceiling, whispering a spell he created, well his older self, in Parseltongue the room was coated in a mix of blue and green for a second.

Then he did something that made their Slytherin masks fall, he dropped the charm hiding Nidhogg. “What I just did was ward this room with a combination privacy and secrecy spelI created. If anyone tries to listen through the door all they will hear is inane chatter and that will adjust to whoever is in the room at the time unless it’s empty or a single person, than all anyone will hear is silence.” He unwound Nidhogg  from his neck while he spoke and placed him on the floor so that he could get acquainted with his surroundings.

“The secrecy part of the spell makes it so that anything we see or hear in this room cannot be spoken about outside of it. Even if you brought someone in here you would not be able to say anything unless the person you want to speak about gives you permission. The ward will stay until I take it down and I will not do that until the last day before summer, hopefully by then I will be able to trust you two or I will be asking for a vow to keep my secrets just that.”

Harry watched Blaise get stiffer as Nidhogg slithered his way closer to him. “That is Nidhogg, my familiar or he will be once I find an appropriate bonding ritual. Just put your hand down so that he can get your scent. He won’t bite unless to protect me or I say otherwise.”

Blaise put his hand down slowly and held still while the snake’s tongue flicked against his fingertips. _$That’s Blaise Zabini and the other boy is Theodore Nott, my roommates. You may appear to them if you would like.$_

Both looked at him wide eyed and slightly fearful. “Don’t look at me like that; I have no reason to harm either of you. I was just telling him who you are and letting him know he is allowed to appear to you if he wishes. He is a magical snake so he is unusually smart and can understand everything you say even if you cannot understand him.”

“You’re a Parselmouth.” Nott breathed out as Nidhogg scented the boy.

Harry rolled his eye. “Obviously,” He replied drolly.

“Well I get the need for secrecy, you are not what we expected but how are we to trust that the secrecy applies to you as well. I mean you may not be what we were expecting but you are still The-Boy-Who-Lived, the one who vanquished You-Know-Who.” Zabini said smirking.

Harry flicked his right hand, getting his wand from the holster on his wrist and placed the wand on the palm of his left hand. “I Harrison James Potter do hereby vow that I will never reveal anything I see or hear from or about Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott unless they state otherwise. So I will it, so mote it be.” There was a flash of blue binding him to his vow and he replaced his wand back in the holster.

What I would really appreciate from the two of you is whatever you’ve heard or read about me forget it all. I am not the light’s golden boy and I never will be nor am I the next Dark Lord and I have no plans on standing in his way.”

“Then you believe-”

“That he’s still out there?” He finished for Nott. “Yes I do.”

“You sound so certain.” Nott replied leaning forward anxiously.

Harry smirked at him but hummed nonsensically, giving him a non-answer and turned to his trunk to unlock it and pull out his night clothes. It was obvious to his roommates that they would get no more from him that night so followed his lead all three of them climbing into bed within minutes of each other. Harry stayed awake long enough to listen to the other boys slow quiet breathing and feel Nidhogg curled up on his chest; Harry was comfortable and content for the moment it was only a matter of time before all hell would break loose and things would probably get worse before they got better but he was hopeful.  


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Important* First I just wanted to say that I apologize for the content of this chapter if it offends anyone. I am not putting down anyone's religion nor am I preaching evolution over creation. With that being said I do hope you all enjoy this newest chapter and thank you to everyone who left reviews and constructive criticism.
> 
> Edit 9/20/16- For those of you just starting this fic, you can disregard this note; for everyone else there has been some major edits done. I have added some much needed extra information towards the middle/end of this chapter so it might help to go back and reread. 
> 
> Beta-Vampygurl402

**Chapter 5**

The next day dawned, not bright considering their quarters, but certainly peaceful. Harrys roommates were still sleeping since it was just after 6, according to the silent Tempus he cast, so he quietly grabbed his clothes, a few things he would need for the day, and made his way to the bathroom for a shower. Once out and dressed he dried his hair, tied it in a loose braid, and threw on his school robe before leaving for the Great Hall for breakfast.  In the entrance hall he let Nidhogg go to hunt, he would find Harry later.

He sat at the nearly empty table and served himself before pulling out his journal. He may as well put it to good use since it had been left for him. Everything in it had been written in Parselscript and despite that he had also put a type of blood ward on it so that only someone with his blood could access it. Harry used the book to keep notes on the rituals he would need over the next few years and lists of things he had to get done because he may have perfect recall but he still felt better when he had something physical to look at.  It hadn’t taken long for Zabini and Nott to join him. They sat on either side of him and the silence was amicable, something Harry was thankful for but a few minutes later he wanted to slap himself when a commotion disturbed that peaceful silence.

Harry looked up from his notes and watched the Weasley twins enter the Great Hall. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly when he came to a realization. The twins were in their third year, which meant that they would get the map from Filch’s office this year during a detention and if he could help it that would not happen so he made one final note and closed the book to wait impatiently for Snape to come around with their timetables.  This was a free day; students got their timetables and were supposed to spend the day getting acquainted with the castle and going over their materials and Harry couldn’t help but wonder why he had never taken the chance to do that before, he guessed he could blame ignorance but that was not really an excuse. 

Nott was the first to break the silence between the three, breaking Harry out of his thoughts. “Can we ask what you were writing?”

That was curious and very blunt for a Slytherin. “Just notes, thoughts and lists.”

Zabini, who had been closer to the journal, saw exactly what he’d been writing. “What was that? Some sort of code?”

“Parselscript,” Harry replied blandly.

“I didn’t realize Parseltongue could be recorded.” Zabini said, hesitatingly. 

“Parseltongue is a language much like any other except for the fact that you must be born with the ability to speak it instead of learning it.” Harry told the two of them. “So yes, Parseltongue can be recorded, spells done in Parseltongue are twice as strong as their Latin counterparts and there is a branch of magic based off of the language.” As he finished speaking, Snape had approached the table and started handing out timetables and Harry quieted down waiting; it was not quite time for him to know so much just yet.

Zabini and Nott glanced at him curiously but said nothing.  The Professor handed over the pieces of parchment without a word and moved on down the line. Harry climbed over the bench and left the Great Hall with Nott and Zabini following behind; looked like he picked up a few followers of his own. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; he may have 500 years’ worth of memories but that didn’t mean he knew everything. Most of his knowledge came from being an Auror, Head Auror after that then head of the DMLE before he retired.  There were so many regrets and he didn’t have nearly enough knowledge to do everything that needed to be done and that’s where his roommates came in along with the both of them being part of pretty powerful pure blood families. It also helped that even though Zabini was neutral, Nott was firmly on the Dark Lords side and by this upcoming weekend he would hopefully have 3 more allies. 

...

Harry led them to the Dungeons and pulled them both into an empty classroom, sealing the room once the door was closed. “Listen, last night I gave you a vow that allows you to do or say anything to me or in my presence and I won’t be able to let one hint of that out to anyone without your permission.” He told the both of them seriously. “I however do not have that reassurance outside of our room. I have some things that I have to do, plans that cannot be disrupted and if you insist on following me I am going to require a vow just like the one I made last night from the both of you.”

“Will you be letting us in one these plans of yours if we do take a vow?” Zabini asked with a small smirk. “I’m curious what The-Boy-Who-Lived could be planning that needs to be hidden.”

“Number one Zabini; never call me that or any variation of that moniker. There is a reason I was given that title and that is because _no one_ else _lived_ including my parents. It is not a good thing no matter what people think.” Harry stopped to think for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and continuing.  “Number two I’ll do you one better than just telling you what I plan I’ll give you one chance to walk away after I tell you. Agreed?” He said to the boy.

“Are you not giving me the same option?” Theo butted in, not really caring either way; he was sure he could find a way to use this to his own advantage even with a vow in place.

“I know for a fact you will not walk away. So what’s it going to be?” They both held out their hands, wands placed on their palms and made the required vow. “Now since we are already in the Dungeons, I suppose I should tell you now.” Only he had no idea how to say it. Should he just put it bluntly or ease them into it? Then again could you really ease someone into the fact that you’re going to bring back the Dark Lord? 

“Potter!” Nott called sharply and Harry rolled his eyes.

“Just call me Harry. As for my plans, I am going to bring back the Dark Lord.” It took a second for his statement to sink in but when it did Nott smirked, a devious glint in his eyes and Zabini looked slightly fearful. “I mean, yes I plan on bringing him back but without his insanity. It wasn’t natural and I can’t tell the why and how’s he became like he did but he did something infinitely stupid when he was younger that caused him to descend into madness.  He wasn’t always a crazy sociopathic megalomaniac; just a bit sadistic and arrogant.”

“Oh is that all?” Zabini drawled sarcastically. 

Harry huffed in exasperation. “No one ever thinks about these things. The Dark Lord would have never had as many followers as he does if he wasn’t at some point worth following. Nott, I’m sure you’ve heard stories from both your father and grandfather.”

The blonde nodded. “How did you know about them?”

“I know a lot about things that I shouldn’t and little about things I should.” He told them cryptically. “But tell me what you’ve heard. The Dark Lord was the only known Parselmouth, he looked inhuman, he wanted to wipe out muggles, was an advocate of Dark Arts and pure bloods and failure was not an option. He said it all in an almost detached tone.” 

“Now I’m going to tell you a little story.” Harry turned to the dusty unused desk behind him and with a wave of his hand it was somewhat clean. He hopped up on it and conjured 2 chairs, which Zabini and Nott eyed wearily but sat anyway. 

“Now, there was once an orphan boy who lived in a muggle orphanage. He discovered and began actively using his Magic at a very young age, even though he had no idea what it was. When he was treated badly by the other children he used his magic to hurt them; to scare them and when a Professor showed up at the orphanage one day to inform the boy that he had Magic the little boy was ecstatic because he knew he was different; special. When the boy arrived at Hogwarts he was sorted into Slytherin and from then on watched by that Professor as well as ostracized by his own house because you see he was a half blood in a house full of pure blood supremacists. He was a genius, handsome, charismatic and eventually ruthless. He was denied over and over by that one Professor to stay at Hogwarts over the summer and because of that he became colder and colder. He had no friends, not one person he was close to in order to protect himself. He eventually restructured the Slytherin house and found out he was the Heir of Slytherin. The boy gained his first followers but that wouldn’t become official until after he left Hogwarts. By this time his audience was sitting on the edge of their seats listening to every word intently. I don’t know much about what happened between his 6th year and when he finally emerged as Lord Voldemort except that he wanted the DADA position and upon graduating he formed the Knights of Walpurgis and because of that Professor, the Headmaster refused him the position when he applied for it right after graduation.”

“He applied again sometime later, around his 20s, and that Professor who had become the Headmaster, refused him again. Well because of something he did in his 6th year his sanity was on a slow decline but he had a vision that was very good, not perfect, but good. He didn’t have all the information he needed for it to be brilliant. With his sanity, went his looks and rational thought process and he lost sight of his original goals. He started trying to achieve something that is impossible unless he wants to make Earth a barren unlivable place. Wiping out all muggles is a pointless endeavor and trying would most likely end up with us discovered sooner rather than later because face it, it will happen it’s just a matter of time and we need to be prepared for that eventuality. That is not the most important thing we need to worry about just yet though. What’s more important than keeping muggles from finding out about the Wizarding World? Zabini sneered.  Magic is dying, it won’t matter if muggles find us because soon enough there won’t be anything to find.”

Both Nott and Zabini stared at Harry in stunned silence. They hadn’t expected any of what he said and they would like to not believe any of it but his story had been too intricate and just didn’t have that feel of a lie or exaggeration.  So of course both of them began spitting out questions at the same time until Harry raised a hand to silence them. 

“I can’t tell you how I know all of this but just know it’s true and I also cannot tell you what the Dark Lord did to cause his own downfall, well I could but it would most likely mean your death.” Harry hopped off the desk.

“Now is the time to make your choice. I will answer some more questions after I complete my first task but it is imperative that I get this done now. He waved them forward and pulled out his wand, he need to get used to using it more in the presence of others. I’m just going to place a rather strong Disillusionment Charm on us,” He said when they moved a little hesitantly. The charm was done in Parseltongue and one that Dumbledore wouldn’t be able to see through, but Moody most likely would. Harry tapped both of them lightly on the head in quick succession and watched them both stiffen from the feeling and disappear from sight.

“First we go to Filchs office, there’s something I need to grab if it’s still there. I’m sure you two are proficient enough in sensing Magic if you tried and you’ve been around me long enough to recognize mine but if you do manage to lose me head to the 7th floor and wait by the tapestry of trolls learning ballet.” He swept out of the room, Nott and Zabini following closely behind and led them through the maze that was the Dungeons. When they finally made it to the caretaker’s office, Harry listened at the door for any sign that Filch was inside and when he didn’t hear anything a simple Alohomora took care of the lock. The desk was covered in paperwork but some shuffling around yielded the innocuous looking piece of parchment Harry was searching for. It quickly disappeared inside a pocket and they left the room, locking it behind them. 

...

They neatly avoided the few teachers and students they encountered and made their way to the 7th floor where Harry finally dispelled the charm hiding the three of them. The two boys watched Harry pace the hall three times before a door appeared.

“This is the Room of Requirement or better known as the Come-and-Go room. He told them as he opened the door to enter. This is the room of lost things and the second task on my list and then we can talk some more.” He said distractedly. 

Harry made his way through the towering maze of items until he found a very familiar bust. The cloud of malevolence that surrounded the bust was so strong it was almost tangible. Theo and Blaise had moved closer to the bust and were staring open mouthed at the diadem sitting on its head. He pulled a black silk drawstring bag from one of his pockets just as Theo reached out to touch the cursed item.

“Do not touch that.” He snapped out sharply. “That is full of extremely Dark Magic and it will consume you.”

“Is that really?” Zabini asked a hint of awe coloring his voice.

“Ravenclaws lost diadem, yes, it is.” Harry used his wand to levitate the diadem and direct it into the specially warded bag. “Once it has been cleansed it will be going to the Ravenclaw common room where it belongs, the same with Hufflepuffs Cup. Gryffindor's Sword goes where it is needed most, otherwise it’s in the Headmasters Office and I would do something about Slytherins Locket but that is the Dark Lords by right.”

He tied the bag and replaced it back in his pocket. Closing his eyes, Harry pictured a comfortable room that they could use for a quiet serious discussion and silently requested the castle to make it so. When he opened his eyes the room was tastefully done in shades of green and cream; not overtly Slytherin but not really any other affiliation either.  Three hunter green, comfortable chairs surrounded a circular table made of dark redwood and Harry motioned his companions to seat themselves while he called for one of the castles House Elves for tea. Within moments a serving tray appeared with a steaming pot of tea and all of the accoutrements to go along with it. Harry cupped the delicate glass with both hands and let the warmth seep into his chilled fingers; the dungeons may not have been cold but they weren’t exactly warm either.

“Now, what would you like to know?” He took a sip of his tea as they glanced at each other, and from the looks of it, had a silent conversation. 

It was Nott who spoke in his quiet unassuming way. “As much as we would like to talk about you bringing about the rise of the Dark Lord again, we would really like to know why you think Magic is dying. That’s much more serious than the Dark Lord returning.”

Harry took another small sip of his tea and set the glass down still cupping it, as he thought over what it was he had to say to convince them. “Maybe one day when I know I can trust you, I may tell you exactly how I know that Magic is dying but for now I’ll tell you some things I’ve come upon in my research. He took a breath; this was going to take a while.

“Forgive me if I end up confusing you I will try to keep everything as simple as possible, however since you both are from pure blood families there are things you’ve never been taught that you probably should have been; for instance, muggle Science and Biology.”

Theo scoffed while Blaise looked incredulous.  Harry shook his head in disappointment. Hopefully one day they’d understand; Harry held no love for muggles but there must be a balance. “We will study Astronomy but what that teaches us is where and what the Planets are, the constellations and names of stars, location and movement and the mythology behind it all. What that class does not teach is how Planets form or are destroyed.”

His housemates looked reluctantly surprised but Zabini still asked, “what does that have to do with Magic?”

“Patience,” He consoled them. “There is a point to everything I’m telling you, just store it away for later because it all will come into play. The point though is to explain from the beginning so that you might be able to understand easier. Now what you need to know is that Magic is and always has been. There is no rational explanation for where She came from or what exactly She is.” They gazed back at him uncomprehendingly.

“Yes, She, higher sentient being. Magic is and knows,” Harry shrugged and continued. “In the beginning there was Magic and darkness; eventually stars formed, then galaxies and finally planets. The Sun was our start and so we had Magic, Light, and Darkness. The planets of our Solar System were formed and then there was the planet Earth and on the planet there was life and with life Death came into being; because what is life without death? And Humans developed to the point that they could walk and talk. They could think for themselves and had free will; some had Magic and others had none and with these beings came Fate.” Harry had no clue what either of his companions were thinking but since they seemed to be listening intently and not interrupting so he just continued. “The first Humans to have Magic were revered and worshipped as Gods and Goddess and that’s where religions started but that’s not all. There were creatures that have since become extinct. Shapeshifters and Were creatures not just Wolves. Harpies are extinct and Veela live on for now. Harpies were always female and the joining of a Harpy and a wizard produced a Veela if the child was female and a carrier for the Gene if it was male.”

“Malfoy…” Blaise injected knowingly.

Harry nodded. “A carrier, but that line is so inbred that if they don’t reproduce with new blood they will never produce a female let alone multiple children from one marriage and within the next couple of centuries they will produce a male squib which they will cast out and that will be the end of their line because it will take much too long for that squib line to cross with another to produce a muggle born of their line and another. This is where muggle Biology and Genetics fit in. While it is admirable that Purebloods want to keep their lines pure, it is not practical and causes nothing but problems later on.” Harry sighed lightly at their confused faces, it was hard to keep in mind that these were two children that grew up in the Magical world and had no clue about the muggle world.

“A simplified explanation on Genetics is that it tells us what we as individual people are made of. Genes determine what our eye and hair color is, whether we are tall or short, skinny or fat; there are some genes that are dominant and passed down in each generation like the Malfoy hair, the Blacks eyes or the Potter hair. I am not the best person to be explaining this since I only know the basics but the study is very in depth and complicated, what I’m trying to get you to understand is that if you intermarry those Genes stay the same and there is nothing new being added to the bloodline and over time those Genes will eventually mutate and then you get people like Bellatrix Lestrange with the Black madness or Crabbe and Goyle who are little better than squibs. You can look at it another way though. Andromeda Black, the sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa, married a muggle born, Ted Tonks, and had a daughter, Nymphadora Tonks who is the first Metamorphmagus born to the Black family in centuries.”

The two boys looked slightly pale and a little overwhelmed and while they may not have understood the science, it seemed like they possibly understood the consequences of inbreeding and that was a start at least. He just needed to keep in mind that while they were smart, they were not like him and still had the mind of an eleven year old.

“There are books on this correct?” Theo asked.  Harry nodded at him. “Would it be possible to acquire them; I would very much like to learn more.”

“Yes, I am just not sure when I would be able to purchase them since I highly doubt we’d be able to find any in the Wizarding world.” Harry said thinking of a way. He could possibly get what he needed during Christmas break if things went well. 

Theo waved his hand carelessly. “Whenever you can would be appreciated and I will compensate for whatever you purchase. There has to be more than just inbreeding that is causing the loss of Magic though.”

“When we lose knowledge, we lose the ability to do certain things and once Magic started being classified. Magic is infinite in possibility but because we have lost so much knowledge of our history we no longer know what we are capable of and our ability to do those things is slowly dwindling. For example, people started believing in those classifications and rejecting what they thought was bad.; Zeus, King of the Gods and God of Lightning, in Greek mythology; Amun, King of the Gods and God of Wind, in Egyptian; neither were Gods but both were Elemental Wizards; they were Wizards obviously but they specialized in controlling certain elements. You have to read between the lines with mythology though because it is said that Ra merged with Horus and emerged as Ra-Horakhty. Not quite true, Ra and Horus were lovers and back then Magic was powerful enough to allow two males to have children. Ra-Horakhty was a Necromancer who could control earth and the weather. Do you get it yet?”

Blaise and Theo grabbed their cups and gulped down the rest of their tea which had turned cold by that time.

“All you have to do is think about it, the most powerful Witch and Wizard in memory for us is Merlin and Morgana, much later there was the Founders who all created this castle which is enormous. What was all the extra spaced used for or supposed to be used for in their time? The Dark Lord is probably the most powerful of our world since the Founders and I’ll let you in on a little secret, it was prophesied that he would mark me as his equal, Harry tapped his forehead right over his scar. Then there’s Dumbledore. There are other powerful Wizards but only two who are just a step below Dumbledore.” Harry stopped for a moment to rest his voice and noted that both boys were starting to look a little strained he cast a quick Tempus and realized that it was just about time for lunch. “We should take a break for the rest of the day and go get something to eat and after I’ll be coming back up here to research spells and rituals for a Familiar Bond you are more than welcome to join me or not.”

Blaise and Theo nodded as they stood and stretched to relax their stiffened muscles. Harry led them out of the room and down to the Great Hall in silence.  Theo and Blaise followed behind, each caught up in their own thoughts and trying to process all the information they had been given in such a short amount of time.   


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry this is so short but everyone has been waiting patiently and I wanted to put something up for all of you so here is the next chapter and I will attempt to get the next one up sooner. If there are any mistakes let me know and I'll get to them as soon as I can.

**Chapter 6**

Lunch was a silent affair; not uncomfortable, just pensive and Harry shrugged internally. It was his own fault for giving them so much information, He could have done it better but chose the most shocking things he could think of to get them to see, being gentle with them would have only taken longer to convince them and he was sure that they would come around eventually, they just needed time to digest it all.

So Harry left them to their silence and discretely observed the things going on around him. His eyes first landed on Malfoy, who was speaking quietly with Greengrass and Parkinson; his ever present bodyguards sitting silently to either side of him. Harry was surprised that Malfoy hadn’t forced a confrontation yet and that wasn’t the only confrontation that he was waiting to happen.

Pucey and Flint, as well as a few other upper class Slytherin’s seemed to be the ruling body of the house and it was only a matter of time before they took it upon themselves to put the ‘Savior’’ in his place. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed to not so covert glances and sneers thrown his way and Harry had no idea what he was going to do about it but he was sure he wasn’t going to allow them to walk all over him. There was no point because no matter what he did do, Harry knew it would never leave the common room and that was the exceptional thing about being a Slytherin.

Harry’s eyes darted back to the Malfoy heir. He knew Draco could be so much more than what he was now but that was the future, an alternate timeline, when his father served under a madman and he was forced to do things against his nature. Things that change a person and whereas that Draco was someone that was at least tolerable, this one was still a haughty stuck up spoilt brat. It would take the upcoming war to toughen him up, because as much as Harry would like to avoid it, there would be a war, there was no getting around it and that was one of a few reasons he chose this path. His former friends, with the occasional exception, wouldn’t understand or refuse to understand. It was easier to distance himself this way and he was finding Nott and Zabini’s company much more companionable than Hermione's and Ron’s ever had been.   

Thoughts of the Malfoy heir morphed into thoughts of his father, Lucius and his eyes strayed from those of his own house to the head table and the dour potion master. Two powerfully imposing men and the right and left hands of the Dark Lord; Harry needed them on his side to accomplish his goals. And as much as he needed them, Harry really wasn’t looking forward to working closely with them. The two brought up desires his future self-had buried deep and never dared to confront not to mention neither man liked him; He could only hope that the promise of bringing their Lord back with his sanity back would endear him to them a little.

Those desires, however, had no relevance to his plan and it was getting harder to ignore them. It was getting more and more difficult to separate himself from the journals memories; it was as if those memories were becoming his own and though he was slightly detached from them, they were there. He needed to come to terms with everything before next Sunday and it wasn’t like anything would ever come from them, one was a married man, the other was suffering from unrequited love and he had the body of someone old enough to be their child. He sighed internally and forced all those thoughts back behind his Occlumency Walls.      

Harry was so caught up in his own head he hadn’t realized he had been staring at the Professor until dark fathomless eyes caught his own. He mentally berated himself and his eyes slid from Snape’s impressive figure to the Professor sitting next to him then down to his plate. He wanted to rub at his face wearily but refrained, he needed to keep up the Slytherin act and dropping it would bring a whole new host of problems. He pushed away his barely touched plate and decided to retreat back to the seventh floor. He needed to find a binding ritual and now that he recalled, he also needed to figure out how or if Unicorn blood affected just Professor Quirrel or Voldemort as well.

As gracefully as he could, Harry climbed off the bench. He bent down to speak quietly when his two companions looked up at him. “You know where I’ll be. You both are more than welcome to join me, otherwise I’ll see you at supper.” They nodded their assent and turned back to their meals as Harry left the Great Hall. He could feel the pin prick of eyes following him out the door and resolutely ignored them. He encountered Nidhogg on his way, who had been exploring the castle, and discreetly grabbed his soon to be familiar before continuing to his destination.   

…

Eventually Nott joined him in the RoR while Zabini was off doing whatever and except for the initial query for recommended reading, the silence was peaceful only broken by pages being turned and calm breaths.

By supper Harry had found a simple bonding ritual but had to wait for the full moon and Nott left the room with him disappointed he couldn’t bring the book he had been reading with him. The meal itself was pleasant and thought provoking. It started with he, Nott and Zabini discussing mythology and religion quietly between themselves and quickly morphed into a serious debate about mythology, religion and fairy tales and the truthfulness behind them; those within hearing distance stopped to listen avidly then slowly begin injecting in the conversation and when they weren’t immediately brushed off, became more enthusiastic about their comments.

For the first time in so long, even his memories, Harry was enjoying a companionable intellectual conversation and though he kept his Slytherin mask on he was happy and did not think on all of the problems he still had to face or how tedious the next day’s classes were bound to be.                    

…

Harry had been expecting questions as soon as they retired but all he could hear was the muffled sound of water running coming from behind the closed bathroom door and the quiet shuffling of he and Nott changing.

Zabini was the one to break the silence, emerging from the bathroom in his pajamas with a fluffy white towel wrapped loosely around his shoulders. “So are you going to show us what that paper was we nicked this morning?”

Harry stopped pulling things out of his trunk and reached over to grab the parchment he set aside earlier. He spun so that he had the open space of the floor and began unfolding it. He waited for them to kneel at the edge and tapped the paper with his wand to activate the map.  

He kept his eyes on the two boys across from him who were staring intently at the blank parchment. “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” He watched their eyes grow larger with every appearing line and moving name, until the entire castle was outlined on parchment and every inhabitant was accounted for.

“This is the Marauders Map. It was created by my father, Godfather and two other friends.” He pointed at the names printed on the top left and right hand corners. “Moony is Remus Lupin, Padfoot is my Godfather Sirius Black, Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew and Prongs was my Father James Potter.” Both of his roommates looked up quickly at Harry’s mention of Sirius.

Harry preempted their questions. “He was never a traitor, he is innocent. It was Pettigrew who sold out my parents to the Dark Lord.” He told them as their eyes glossed over the numerous names both moving and not.

“He is one of many who won’t make it out of this war with his life.” Harry’s voice turned dark with the revelation.

Nott cleared his throat, “There is something I don’t quite understand. You want revenge on Pettigrew for turning traitor but you are planning on bringing back the Dark Lord; the man who killed them and will be joining his side.”

“But if I were to go after everyone who is to blame for my parent’s death I would be taking out a lot of people and not only those on the side of the dark.” He waved his hand dismissively, “It was a war that had started many years before any of us were ever thought of so my parents are partially to blame for bringing me into this world knowing that they were a part of the front line forces, Dumbledore is to blame for being a fool and holding a job interview in a pub even if he didn’t know the women would prophesy something and I could blame the man who overheard only the first part of it for running right to the Dark Lord before finding out more.”

“All of that not counting the Dark Lord or Pettigrew; I am picking the battles I can win, like taking out Pettigrew who is alive and I know right where is for when I want him. He has no use in this war; he is a sniveling coward, has no notable skills and is a betrayer so I have no qualms about killing him because I should be able to at least get my Godfather a trial. And with Veritaserum, memory recall and a simple Priori Incantatem, it should be relatively easy to prove his innocence.

I will forgive the Dark Lord and the man who overheard the prophecy because it is in my best interest but I will never forget and Dumbledore will eventually be brought down.” He said decisively. “Now I believe we have our first classes tomorrow so we should head to bed.” He tapped the page once more,, whispering the words to deactivate the map. He folded it and stowed it in his trunk quietly wishing his roommates goodnight as he lay down.

…

The three boys went about their new morning routine and made their way to breakfast which was a quiet somber affair given that classes started shortly after.

The Slytherins started their day with History of Magic with the Ravenclaws and while most of the class spent their time trying to stay awake through Binns monotonous droning, Harry had pulled out his journal and was puzzling through his most pressing problem right at that moment. He had managed to find the information he needed and it explained a lot. The effects of unwillingly taken Unicorn were dire and Harry absolutely could not let Quirrel go down that path.

He was hitting a dead end at every turn however and could only come to one conclusion; he would have to move up his timeline by much more than he wanted. While Harry had wanted to wait until at least his second year, he was now going to have to move the Dark Lord’s resurrection to this weekend.

Meeting with Snape, Malfoy and his wife would have to take place within the next couple of days and he needed to convince them to help without all of the information. Narcissa would be able to access Grimmauld Place and Bellatrix vaults for the locket and cup and Lucius would be able to bring the diary as well as retrieve the ring.

The ritual would have to be done in the Chamber since there were multiple wards surrounding it and keeping anyone from know what he was doing down there especially since the ritual he was going to preform was probably as dark as you could get; even darker than the one the Lord originally perform to bring himself back. Only the ritual Harry was going to do would be much better. The only problem with the Chamber was it was in severe need of cleaning and he had just the people to help him with that task. It would also help for them to earn his trust.

…

With a somewhat solid plan in place he attended Charms  with the Hufflepuffs, ate lunch dutifully and worked through Transfiguration with the Gryffindors; Harry made sure to do well in his classes but not enough to stand out and when the Slytherins and Gryffindors started sniping at each other he kept quiet and out of the way. Competition was healthy but the house rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was not and Harry had more important things to worry about.

During DADA, Harry watched Quirrell and was thankful for the barrier in his mind that kept the pain from the Dark Lord’s proximity away. Though because of the Professor the class was a dreadful mess aside from being as boring as the rest.

…

After supper he, Nott and Zabini retreated to a quiet corner of the common rooms to do their homework which took little time unsurprisingly. Back in their shared room while stowing their work away, Harry informed them of his task.

“I have another task that needs to be completed by Friday and I would appreciate some help with it if you are not opposed to a little menial labor. If you agree you will be allowed to see a place believed to be a myth and at the moment only one other besides myself know of it.”

Nott’s eyes gleamed, anxious to learn more. As Theo gained more and more knowledge Harry unknowingly cemented his loyalty and trust. Though he was not put in Slytherin for nothing and was slowly and quietly putting pieces together to form a picture that seemed to be impossible. Theo had no idea if Harry was dropping hints on purpose as a sort of test or doing it unknowingly but he had no intention, secrecy wards and vows or not, of saying anything unless he couldn’t deliver on what he promised.

“Will we be staying in the castle?” Zabini asked slightly worried that if they left they’d be caught but still wanting to accompany the both of them.

Harry nodded, “Yes, where we are going is much like the Room of Requirement. This will be a test of trust for all of us. I am not going to ask for any type of vows from you two but I will request that you not say anything to anyone and you two will have to trust me to do whatever I tell you to so that I can keep you safe.”

They both nodded but were curious about where in the castle they would be going that could be unsafe. “Good if you’re both coming than change and put on robe you don’t mind getting ruined.  They did so quickly and followed Harry out of their room and into the common area where they were halted from leaving by one Draco Malfoy and his overbearing bodyguards.

…

Harry sighed, He knew this was coming but it was very inconvenient timing. “Malfoy, what can we do for you?” He drawled, not bothering to mask his disinterest.

“Potter, I figured it was time for introductions since you have made the acquaintance of a few notable people,” The blonde nodded his head at Nott and Zabini. “You obviously know who I am and this is Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe.” He waved a hand dismissively back at his companions.

Harry suppressed a snort at Draco’s haughty tone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” He barely kept the sarcasm from entering his voice. “We have something to do at the moment and haven’t the time to chat.” He brushed past the three boys in his way with Zabini and Nott following closely behind, none of them seeing the dark glare Draco aimed at Harry’s back or Pucey and Flint approach the young Malfoy.

…

Outside the Slytherin common room, Harry led them to the second floor and into the abandon girl’s bathroom and smirked at their disbelieving looks before approaching the sinks. _$Open.$_ They began to move and he watched as disbelief turned to outright shock. When the sinks stopped moving they approached the edge of the hole and looked down into darkness.

“Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets.” Harry said and without waiting for a response, jumped down the hole.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got a burst of inspiration and I have to admit the end of this chapter was not what I had planned, the boys did what they wanted and Snape decided to sneak his way in like they Slytherin he is. I hope you all like it anyways.

**Chapter 7**

At the bottom Harry landed on his feet in a crouch, knowing what awaited him. Nott followed next landing on his feet first and falling to his rear end when loose bones threw off his balance, he barely managed to roll out of the way when Zabini appeared and his landing was just as graceless as Theo’s.

They both stood and with expressions of disgust, wiped their hands off on their robes as they looked around the dark enclosed space; the only light coming from Harry’s wand and casting an eerie greenish glow over everything. “I see why you told us to wear something we wouldn’t mind getting dirty now because I’m pretty sure that we are going to have to throw these clothes out when we’re done.” Nott said offhandedly.

“This is the famed Chamber of Secrets?” Blaise said his nose wrinkling at the scent.

“No, this is something of an ante chamber and I’m fairly sure it’s not the only entrance, just the only one I know of. Not only will we be cleaning down here but we will also be exploring a bit because I don’t think that Salazar only built this place just to house his Basilisk.”

Both of the boy’s eyes goggled and Harry huffed out a laugh and motioned for them to follow. “I bet you’ve both heard every rumor and story of this place but what isn’t ever said is that the Chamber is warded separately from the rest of the castle. It is unplottable and any magic used down here will never register with the castle wards so the Headmaster has no idea of anything that happens down here, also there is a very strong preservation charm or ward placed but I have no clue why that specific one.” Harry explained as they walked.

Blaise audibly choked when they passed the shed skin and Theo became weary, eyes darting everywhere alert for any hint of danger. Harry eyed the skin speculatively and stopped abruptly. That could be useful since it was a rare potions ingredient and he could use it as a sort of peace offering, he was sure the Potions Master would appreciate. The only problem would be separating it for storage, he couldn’t call on any of the castle House Elves but perhaps Blaise and Theo would be able to solve that problem.

The two stood behind him glancing between him and the skin when Harry turned back to them. “Would either of you have your own personal House Elves; one that answers only to you and no other and know proper handling of potion ingredients?” They both nodded and waited for an explanation. Harry hummed quietly thinking for a moment. “Alright, it might actually be faster and more helpful if you have them both do this but as a thank you for helping with this task if you wouldn’t mind, have them take the skin apart. You each can have a quarter of it to sell or for your own private potion stores. If you decide to sell it go through the Goblins and have them put the other half in our room, I have plans for it.”

Nott chuckled, “We may be good with potions but the ones that require Basilisk Skin are for someone with a Mastery so I think I’ll just sell mine.” Zabini agreed and they called their Elves with strict instructions on what to do and to keep closed mouth about the whole situation as well as their location. They continued on as the two creatures started working and that was one less thing that they had to worry about cleaning.          

At the next door Harry hissed out the word for it to open and the boys weren’t the only ones to be observing. Nidhogg, who had woken at the first hissed open, was now watching and anxious to meet the King of Snakes for the first time.

The door opened to reveal the cavernous room and Harry turned his head to look back at his companions only to find the both of them gaping. The cavernous room was slightly lighter than the tunnel but still bathed everything in an eerie green glow. Harry walked down the portion of the path not covered in water. He took the time to look around closely at the statues of snakes surrounding them and the giant face of Salazar himself and could help but to notice that they disappeared below the murky water. He wondered if there was anything down there and decided that when he opened the Basilisk’s lair that he would ask. If anyone would know it would be the snake and hopefully it would listen to him and not be as insane as it had sounded previously.

Harry stopped halfway down the path. “Stay here and keep your eyes to the ground. If I tell you to run do so.” He continued alone after assuring their obedience and stopped a couple feet from the statue. He took a calming breath, _$Open Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four.$_

The mouth opened with the sound of stone grinding together. Harry kept his eyes lowered enough that he could see the snake pouring from the opening but didn’t catch its eyes. He backed up a few steps and watched its tongue flicker through the air, tasting and smelling its surroundings.

He could hear Blaise and Theo breathing quick and shallow behind him and the sound of dry scales rubbing against the damp stone below the snake as it moved closer. It stopped before Harry, the snakes tongue flickering over his hair and ruffling it slightly. _$You smell of snakes and taste of Salazar’s Heir.$_ It hissed out and Harry was slightly startled to hear that it sounded decidedly female. Nidhogg raised his body and lowered his head in a bowing gesture.

_$Your Majesty. It is a pleasure to meet you, I have been named Nihogg and I am to be the familiar to this human.$_ Harry smiled at the small snakes very audible happiness.

Harry made sure to bow low. _$It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am called Harry and while I am not the Heir at the moment, I do carry a portion of his soul for safe keeping.$_ He finished the sentence quickly not wanting to take the chance it would attack him.

_$And where would my Master be?$_

Harry blanched slightly. He had no idea if the Basilisk would understand exactly what happened to the Dark Lord but it seemed to be smarter than even a magical snake since it understood what he was or that was the impression he got. _$I am sorry to say that at the moment he is currently bodiless, however I will be rectifying the situation in a few days. But the reason I am here now is to restore this Chamber to its former glory with the help of my companions$_ Harry waved a hand behind him. _$And if you would be so kind I could also use your help.$_

_$Yes I believe I would be agreeable to that. You may look upon me; I have decided that until my Master has returned to me I will not kill you. If you do not keep your word that will change.$_

Harry bowed his head for a moment then glanced up at the snake towering over him. He knew he had no control over the giant snake but since he was a Parselmouth he was granted a small amount of respect as long as he showed the same back. _$I will make sure you are present for his resurrection. What may I call you so that I may introduce you to my friends?$_

_$Salazar called me Angitia and you may as well.$_

Harry cocked his head curiously. _$May I ask how I am able to look at you without you killing or petrifying me?$_

_$That is because I am those like myself possess a second set of eyelids that allow me to see without using my abilities. Now come, introduce me to these friends of yours so that we may begin the restoration process.$_

Harry was hard pressed to hold back the laughter that threatened at her haughty tone, but managed. “Yes My Lady.” He spoke in English for the benefit of the other boys as he approached where they were still standing with their eyes lowered.

“Raise your heads, you’re perfectly safe, and introduce yourselves to Angitia. She has graciously offered her assistance and can understand you perfectly, even if you cannot understand her.”     

They took their cue from Harry and bowed before stating their name to the great snake. They stood still and breathless with looks of fear and awe as she scented them with long flicks of her forked tongue. Angitia turned back to Harry, lowering her head so she could look into his eyes as he spoke.

“I have a few questions before we begin if you wouldn’t mind.” She hissed out a negative and held his gaze. “I know there a numerous tunnels but would you be able to tell me of any other entrances. You are able to travel the castle through the plumbing and exit into the castle from the way we came but there has to be a way for you to get outside to eat.”

_$You are correct. There is a tunnel leading out into the Forest and one other that Salazar used to bring promising students down here.$_

Harry’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really, do you know why he brought students down here and how he kept them from taking?”

_$I believe he said something along the lines of a secrecy vow and a modified memory charm so that they knew they had been in the Chamber and what they had done or learned but were unable to remember where the entrance was.$_

Harry tapped his finger thoughtfully against his chin. He would have to question her further, when he had time, to find out what she remembered of Salazar’s teaching. He had a feeling it would be very dark if he had brought people down here to teach it.

“One more question then we will get started. Is there anything below the water?”

_$Yes, Salazar had a small library and office one level below my nest. It was too small for me to enter but I used to rest at the entrance and watch Salazar work sometimes.$_ Her tone was wistful and Harry couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. She must have been lonely after being stuck down here alone for so many years.

“Really,” Harry breathed out excitedly. “I know of the drying charm but there must be a way to get rid of large amounts of water.” He muttered to himself.

“Potter…” Zabini interrupted his train of thought.

Harry turned his head and raised an eyebrow sardonically. “I think Harry would suffice now or if you really want to be formal, Harrison.”

“Harry then, would you mind filling us in?”

“Oh yes, she was just informing me that Salazar had a small library and office that is now flooded and we are going to have to do some research tomorrow unless one of you know how to get rid of a large amount of water. I can’t imagine that there isn’t a spell or rune that can’t do it because flooding does happen to wizard as well as to muggle areas.”

They shook their head but resolve and excitement colored their reaction. “Well I guess we have much to keep us busy over the next few days, I just hope it’s enough time, so let’s get started. Angitia if you would be so kind as to show us where the students entered from and then the entrance to the Forbidden Forest, we can banish the bones and spiders as we go and also check for any structural damage.” They stepped aside for her to pass as she led them to one of the tunnels branching off the main room.

Harry walked alongside Anigtia banishing what he could in front of her as Zabini held his wand high to light the way and Nott did the same behind, getting whatever Harry missed, all three of them tossing a quick Scourgify at spider webs as they went. They would need a more widespread cleaning charm for the rest though.

_$This is the entrance.$_ Angitia told Harry when they reached a dead end. The wall looked much like the rest of the Chamber with the exception of the snake engraved on it and Harry assumed that it opened the same as the rest of the doors minus the entrance to the Basilisk’s Nest.

_$Open.$_ Harry hissed and the three waited with bated breath while the wall moved out slowly. Stone ground against stone and just barely heard was the sound of glass clinking together. Harry suddenly got the feeling that maybe he should have tried to find out what was behind the opening before he gained passage and that thought was reinforced when they finally stopped and they were faced with a dark figure towering over them wand in hand.

Harry’s eyes closed in exasperation with himself. Once again he let his Gryffindor tendencies get the better of him and he was going to pay the price. He only hoped he could salvage the situation because that meeting with his Potion’s Professor just got moved up.

“Bloody hell.”

“Indeed Mr. Potter.” Came the silky smooth reply.   

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's finally finished but not nearly as long as I would have liked. Next will be longer though since Severus will be seeing most of Harry's previous life I will only be giving his impression of what he sees and not a recounting of it since we should all already know the specifics I have no intentions on changing anything from his past including the epilogue so if you don't know the books or movies consider this your warning of spoilers. And on that note Nothing of The Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts will make it in this fic.
> 
> Beta: angelslaugh
> 
> Disclaimer: Been there done that.

**Chapter 8**

The first day of the term wasn’t usually that bad for Severus Snape, but that only depended on how the schedule was set up. As it so happened this year was particularly bad since he had the first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw’s first thing in the morning, which left him in a very bad mood for the rest of the day. Right at that moment though, he found himself sitting at his desk, with a half full glass of Firewhiskey and going over his lesson plan for the next day when he heard the sound of stone grinding against stone and it was coming from behind him.

In an instant he was up out of his chair, wand in hand and his mind spinning rapidly. In the little over a decade Severus had been working at Hogwarts, not counting his school years; nothing like this had ever happened. There was never even a hint of a passage, other than the door, and he had no idea where it could lead or who would have access to it. So he waited with bated breath, his heart pounding in his ears as he anticipated an attack.

When the bookshelf lined wall finally opened fully it took every bit of his training to not gape at the petite figure standing in the opening. Severus happened to be so focused on Potter he didn’t even see the giant serpent that was right next to him. When the boy closed his eyes and muttered, it was so quiet in the room that it sounded as if he had spoken and thin lips twitched slightly.

Severus didn’t want the boys eyes closed though, he couldn’t read him at all when he did that and the man flashed back to that morning when he felt those eyes staring and caught Potter in the act. The only problem was the look in those, familiar-but-not, green eyes; they were too old, too knowing for his youthful face and the Professor put it out of his mind thinking that he was just imagining things.

The Potion Master straightened to his full height and glared down at Potter. “Indeed, Mr.Potter. Would you like to inform me as to why you are wandering about the castle after curfew and how exactly you came upon a hidden entrance to my office?”

Severus watched as the boy tensed and looked up at him, thoughts flickering behind his eyes too fast for him to identify and when it seemed like he had come to a decision his shoulders relaxed and he looked resigned but he did something that Severus didn’t expect; his gaze flickered around the room before he looked back up and put a finger to his lips and waved him forward.

He raised a brow incredulously at the boy’s back but stepped through the opening and stayed on guard. It never did anyone good to underestimate someone, even if that someone was a child. It only took another step for Severus to stiffen in surprise at the extremely large snake backing down the tunnel and his gaze flickered to the back of Potter’s head.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what type of snake it was just by the size and gold eyes. What he wanted to know was...Well there was a lot he wanted to know he just was not sure where to start. “Explain now Potter.” He spat out between clenched teeth.

He looked back over his shoulder warily but started talking. “This is a tunnel that branches off of the Chamber of Secrets. Angitia was showing us the entrance Slytherin used to use and now we are going to make sure she can exit the castle into the Forbidden Forest so she can eat. Also, this” The boy bowed his head to the serpent, “Is Angitia. Former familiar to Salazar Slytherin and King of Serpents, or Queen if you’d prefer.”

Severus mind was sorting through all the information he’d just been given and as aggravated as he had been right at the moment all he could muster was surprise and excitement. He was standing in Slytherin’s legendary Chamber being introduced to his familiar which was a Basilisk. And as they got introductions out of the way he got another surprise in the form of Potter being a Parselmouth. Then his mind caught up to what had been said. “ _Us?_ Who else is down here Potter?” He bit out.

The boy didn’t answer him right away, instead slowly walking next to the great snake as she backed down the tunnel they had come up. Severus kept an eye on her as he followed Potter almost physically forcing himself to hold back the vitriol that was stockpiling behind his teeth and noticed how narrow the tunnel was as well as the slightly cleaner spots; he could just not for the life of him, figure out why the boy would be cleaning down here. Keeping his silence was starting to take its toll on his tongue but he bit back a sigh, needs must after all.

They paused at an intersection where Angitia had backed down in order to move forward along the other tunnel leading to the Forest. Here Severus found Zabini and Nott waiting around the corner for Potter and had he not been so impatient, he would have found their expressions amusing. They quickly schooled their faces back into bland masks but the Professor could see them looking to Potter for direction and that was curious as well but that along with everything else he had learned, got filed away for careful examination later.

“I asked for Theo and Blaise to help me and they are sworn to secrecy.” (Which wasn’t quite true but Severus didn’t know that.) He said as he waved for them to go ahead. “I am sorry Professor. I’m not ignoring your questions but it is best I wait to answer them until after we return to the main chamber. I have been trying to figure out what I should tell you but have come to the conclusion that I must divulge the whole story much sooner than I had planned and with more people than I wished to know. I will warn you ahead of time that if you wish to know everything I can safely tell you now than I will need a vow from you as well.”

Severus stopped suddenly, stiffening in outrage and Potter spun to face him as if he knew what his reaction would be. The boy held up a hand to stop the flood of insults and berating that would have no doubt flooded forth. “I will not make you swear an Unbreakable Vow. I just need to know that you won’t discuss anything I tell you with anyone who does not already know.”

Severus was once again left biting his tongue as he listened to Potter and he was insanely curious about what this child could tell him that he didn’t already know and as much as he did not like having to swear any sort of vow, he could already tell he wouldn’t get anywhere if he didn’t and he was a spy he dealt in information. “Very well Potter. Let’s continue shall we it is already late and we all have class in the morning.” He nodded in concession and turned to catch up with his companions.

The Potion Master stayed alert to his surroundings even as he became lost in thought. This year was already not turning out how he expected; the Potter brat seemed to be less of a brat and more a mature young man but he withheld judgment along those lines until he got to know him better, he wasn’t causing trouble even though he certainly wasn’t following the rules and he wondered how the boy got Zabini and Nott to follow him without question considering their families affiliation.

The tunnel they were traversing now was considerably longer than the last and in need of maintenance. It was infested with spiders and parts of the ceiling were crumbling and needed repairs. Severus helped to repair the crumbling stone while the three young boys banished webs and insect carcasses.

Finally when they reached the end, they bade Angitia happy hunting and once again Severus was left surprised when a much smaller snake appeared from the collar of Potter’s robes and began speaking to him. The Professor assumed it had said something about following the Basilisk and slithered its way down the boy and stopped next to the giant snake. They promised to come back the next evening to visit and restore more of the Chamber before both serpents left them to return to their tasks.

…

Severus followed the three boys back to the main Chamber for what he was sure to be an interesting if not amusing conversation. Of course he could have invited them back to his office or even his private quarters where he would be more comfortable, but he’d deal with the cold damp if it meant he could see more of Slytherin’s Chamber.

Had he been someone less skilled in Occlumency, Severus would have gaped; the snake statues he expected, the giant head of Slytherin...Not so much.

Eventually they stopped in the middle of the Chamber; Potter spun to face the Potions Professor. Severus crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the three Slytherins.

“I will have to have you and Theo swear a vow for this conversation.” He glanced between his roommates trying to convey an apology.

The two boys had a silent conversation before Nott shrug and turned back to Harry with a smug smirk. “It’s not like you haven’t given us enough hints to figure out what your big secret is, so it’s fine.”

The brunet smirked back. “I may have given you hints. But it’s not quite what you think.”

There was no reason to reply to that remark, they’d find out soon enough, so they took turns speaking their vow and when it came time Severus did the same. He didn’t like having to make any vow but this one was less constricting than the others he had already made and it gave him a little room maneuver if he needed so he bore it and hoped it was worth the effort.

…

Severus scrutinized the boy in front of him and noted the minute easing of his shoulders and relaxed stance. He wondered what an 11 year old boy could have to say that would need secrecy never mind a binding vow. If needed he could figure out a way around it.

“For as long as I can remember,” Harry began. “I have stayed up until midnight the night of my birthday. On my tenth birthday I did the same as I always did except this time at midnight something odd happened.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black book; from Severus’ point of view, it looked ordinary.

“This appeared on my lap from thin air. If I knew then what I do now, I probably never would have written in it but since I was left with muggles that abhorred Magic, I didn’t even know that Magic was real.”

Severus hid it well but that was unexpected and he still had no idea where his was going.

Potter continued on a bit hurriedly, “That doesn’t mean that I didn’t know _something._ I’d done accidental Magic a handful of times so I knew there was something different about me, just not what; so I didn’t have a breakdown of any sort, I just assumed this was another of those odd occurrences. I sat there in the dark trying to figure what to do with it and since it was a blank book like a diary or journal I figured it wouldn’t hurt any to just write in it so that’s what I did.”

“It wrote back; it told me I was a Wizard and explained what it was.”

Before the boy could say any more, Severus finally exploded. “You stupid idiotic boy,” He spit the last word as if were the worst curse he could imagine. “Do you-” His words were cut off as fast as they had started, by a flare of frightening magic that was so cold it stung and bit at the skin of those surrounding the child.

His face closed off, his eyes went flat and when he spoke it was if the Arctic had taken residence in his voice. “You may call me any name you wish but you never refer to me as boy again. Now, had I known that the journal could possibly be a dangerous magical artifact; I probably would have burnt it to ash with Fiendfyre. Thankfully I had no prior knowledge of Magic or the Wizarding World and as such I learned some very enlightening things.”

Severus kept his mouth shut and just listened when the child stopped to take a breath. Years in the service of the Dark Lord taught him a very valuable lesson; respect power, and the amount of power Harry Potter displayed was worth respect.

He listened and didn’t speak a word through the young Potter’s story of impossible things. The creation of all things, the history of Magic and eventual death of Magic and the world as we know it; the journal containing the memories of his self from 500 years in the future was the most unbelievable. And when he stopped talking once more, Severus pinched the bridge of his nose trying to relieve some of the pressure and took a deep steadying breath. Everything Potter said he believed to be the truth and so the Professor couldn’t tell if the child was telling the truth or simply was mentally unbalanced. He had no idea where to start with the questions.

“I am not sure whether or not to believe you, Mr. Potter. However for the sake of my sanity let's just say that I do believe you and the fact that you are trying to save Magic and in the process the world; Why _you_? And how exactly do _you_ think you are going to save Magic?”

The emphasis he placed on the word ‘you’ was enough to show Harry that while the Professor may not have been as hostile now as he had once been, he certainly didn’t think much of him and Harry couldn’t help but wonder if that was how it was always going to be. Harry ignored the slight twinge of hurt and pushed it to the back of his mind like everything else, there was no point in dwelling on it. The relationship between himself, Lord Malfoy, Professor Snape and the Dark Lord would be purely business, he would keep his distance, do what needed to be done and once his task was completed he would retreat to one of his holdings out in the middle of nowhere or maybe a different country where he could live the rest of his immortal life in peace and when he finally got bored of life he would talk to Death about moving on.

“I will not be able to complete this task by myself Professor; if I hadn’t stumbled upon you tonight I would have sought you out in another day or so. There is much more for you to know but I don’t want to go through this over and over again. I need your help; I need for you to believe me because I cannot do this by myself.” Harry was ashamed by his pleading tone but there was no helping it.

“Convince me why I should help you and not just go straight to the Headmaster and tell him everything.”

Harry hesitated for a moment, debating on his next step before deciding that in the end it would be worth it. He took a step forward, then another bringing himself closer to the Potions Master. He waved a hand at the stone in front of him cleaning a spot and conjuring a cushion. “Would you mind kneeling here for a moment, I apologize but I am not tall enough to do what I need to show you.”

Harry learned a long time ago, years after the defeat of the Dark Lord, that he could not Occlude his mind like most others because of the Horcrux; so he had to figure out a way to block his mind another way and with the help of an Auror, that he trusted and was decent at Legilimency. The barrier around his mind was made of pure will and a small portion of his own magic and took years to master; the only reason he had been able to do it over the year before school started was because he had the knowledge, help from his future self and instead of using Magic from his core, he used some from the diary.

There was a downside to his barrier though since he refused to drop it to let someone dig around in his head and he wanted to show someone his memories he would have to do it by touch and transferring what he wanted through Magic.

Harry startled slightly when the Professor dropped down onto the cushion and looked at him with a grimace. Harry ignored the look and went on to explain a few things to the man. “Just so you know what I am about to do is neither Occlumency or Legilimency so there is no need to drop your barriers just allow the images to come to you. You will want to close your eyes because the images will play from behind your eyelids and if your eyes are open it will be disorienting. I will have to touch you as well. Is that okay?”

Severus’ eyes darted between bright green eyes and small pale hands raise towards his face. He was too curious to say no so he just nodded sharply and closed his eyes. A moment after he felt chilled fingers at his temple he heard the boy whisper ‘I’m sorry’ and before he could reply there was a very familiar voice in his head and darkness behind his eyes.    


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this has taken me so long to get up but no matter how many times I read it over and edited it just wouldn't come out the way I wanted. This is as good as I could make it. Also just so everyone knows this will not be Cursed Child or Fantastic Beasts compliant.
> 
> Disclaimer: Not nearly good enough a writer to be Rowling.

**Chapter 9**

 

That insufferable James bloody Potter, it was his voice and at first Snape paid no attention to the words; only when the panicked tone of his voice reached a fever pitch then became silent, did Severus really focus.

The high sibilant voice of the Dark Lord stopped his heart and her voice, _Lily,_ caused his breath to hitch. It took a moment for him to process the words being spoken. _His Lord, he did give her a chance. His first friend, the first person he loved as much as his Mother and he debased himself in front of the Dark Lord and the Inner Circle never once thinking he would be heard; listened to._ Severus flinched when the sound of Lily’s body hit the floor and cringed when there was a flash of green light and then a baby crying.

He flinched when that high cold breathy voice spat out the words for the killing curse once again and the thoughts he had pushed to the back of his mind came rushing forward to bombard him and Severus had no chance to stop them; it was what he deserved so he let them flood his mind.

_His fault, all of this was his fault. He hadn’t given it any thought when he brought the portion of the prophecy he knew to the Dark Lord; he hadn’t thought of Potter or the child, only his Lord and Lily. He was the Dark Lords left hand as Lucius had been his right and Lily was his soul sister, his love for her was only eclipsed by one other person; his Lord and Master. So he got on his knees and pleaded for Lily’s life not caring if Potter died and at the time the child was a non-entity, not born yet and the son of the one person he hated most in the world. But he hadn’t trusted in his love for his Lord or the fact that his Lord had actually cared in any way, so he went to the one man he knew had the power to protect her and he confessed and went against his own morals and nature to become a spy for his Lord’s enemy. It hadn’t made a difference in the end and he had believed the worst of the Dark Lord and had made a vow to protect the child that would be his downfall. He loathed himself both for his deception and for his hand in killing Lily but he had no time before the next memories assaulted him._

Snippets of Harry’s life with Lily’s hateful sister and her husband flashed before his eyes and he was once again forced to reevaluate the boy he was supposed to, wanted to, hate. Then he got to see an entirely different sorting from the one he remembered and he looked carefully but could find no signs that this memory had been tampered with. He paid close attention to each memory shown to him knowing that there was a reason and when he was shown the child’s first day in Potions, Severus felt guilt and shame claw at his chest and he had to push it away; he had to keep telling himself that none of this had happened yet and as much as this was Potter’s son he didn’t think he could treat Harry as he would have.

Severus watched as year after year Harry went through things no child should have had to go through never mind by himself and he understood why Harry only ever had his friends by his side; he could never trust an adult. It was instilled in him as a child and then proven whenever he went to anyone and was pushed away. Not one person knew Harry Potter inside and out not his closest friends, his so called family, his former mentor or teachers, not even the woman he eventually ended up marrying (that thought would come later).

He watched as he was betrayed by friends and forgave them with no questions asked, the physical and emotional scars piled up on top of each other and the teen persevered, his Lord came back as a monster and Severus watched helplessly as Harry lived through more pain and torture and loss and as much as he hated Black, it broke his heart to see the boy break down after his fall through the Veil.

His surprise came shortly after as he witnessed the depth of darkness that lay hidden in the teen. He may not have succeeded in casting the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix but that was only because he was at war with himself wanting and not at the same time. It was in the Headmaster’s office that Severus realized that Harry was on par with both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, the sheer amount of power that exploded from the small boy was astounding and frankly a little terrifying. He pondered on the Prophecy for a moment before pushing it to the back of his mind to analyze later when he had time.

Severus couldn’t stop himself from being horrified at how much worse things became for not only Harry and the Wizarding World, but the whole of Britain.  And while he watched the major highlights of Harry’s school years he made mental notes and observations; things that needed to be taken care of or watched for like that women, Umbridge, because it was a guarantee that the Ministry would eventually find their way back into Hogwarts someway and he didn’t want to see her there at all.

The worst was yet to come and Severus had no words for what he was feeling when he finally discover just how far the Dark Lord went to gain immortality and as much as he didn’t like what he’d seen so far, he had a very bad feeling about what was to come. He watched memory after memory of the Dark Lord’s life and then he, Severus Snape, killing the Headmaster and fleeing with Draco. His chest constricted tightly once again. _More death and destruction._ And it didn’t end there.

Severus followed along on the Horcrux hunt and sneered derisively when Harry was once again abandon by the Weasley. His mind spun with different scenarios when he saw his own Patronus sent to help because he didn’t have the whole story he had no idea why he would kill the headmaster and then help Harry, it didn’t actually make much sense since he was a part of the Order and a spy against the Dark Lord but he waited patiently hoping that things would be made clearer; there was no use in speculating.  

His heart skipped a beat and he watched his own death in horrified fascination; then puzzled over the boy that was crying over his dead body. And his understanding finally came when he observed the memories that Harry collected from him; Severus shut away the image of Harry’s eyes reflecting nothing but resignation and determination. He knew that watching the boy before him, the _child_ he _swore_ to protect, walk to his death and this would be harder to see than his own death.

He held his breath during their duel and flinched badly when the Killing curse finally left the Dark Lord’s lipless mouth and hit Harry but the memories didn’t stop as he expected. There was darkness at first then a voice he was well acquainted with, Narcissa Malfoy, asking if Draco was alright and unexpectedly when Harry answered her she defied the Dark Lord and pronounced Harry as dead. Severus had to clench his jaw to keep it from dropping open as the Dark Lord finally fell.

When he expected the memories to finally stop, they still did not. He was shown snippets and glimpses of Harry’s life after Hogwarts and the war; him becoming a Junior Auror, full time Auror and then Head Auror. Harry discovering he wasn’t aging and the research leading to his invention of a semi-permanent Glamor Charm but he didn’t see what had caused Harry to stop aging and that made him insanely curious.

He didn’t see any part of Harry’s private life but he was shown the day Harry’s second child was born and choked in surprise when he heard what the boy’s name was to be, Albus Severus, and Severus couldn’t help but to wonder why anyone would want to name their child after him.

Severus witnessed the death of Harry’s wife and then him faking his own death what must have been a few years later, his looks changed thanks to the Charm he invented and he travelled and learned for many years after only pausing occasionally to check in on his family. A headline in the newspaper from the next memory made him gasp in shock; **Department of Mysteries Discovers the Disintegration of Wards.** The article went on to describe how the Unspeakables discovered that the Muggle Repelling Wards around Diagon Alley were starting to dissolve slowly and when they started an investigation they found the same was happening to Hogsmead and Hogwarts.

Several more articles reported the same happening to hidden villages and schools around the world and when the papers began to reports on the deaths of Witches and Wizards around the world dying from Magic depletion panic ensued. Severus was finally starting to understand why he was being shown this but he still had no idea as to why _him_ and how Harry managed to travel so far back in time but he was sure that if he was not shown than he would certainly be asking.

It took the Wizarding World over a century to figure out that the Wards were degrading, another couple of decades for magical people to start dying and another century for them to figure out that Magic was dying but by then it was too late to do anything about except try and slow the damage. They did slow it for a time but people lost hope thinking the death of Magic was inevitable and only a handful of people kept looking for a way to keep it alive, Harry being one of them.

He never stopped; Not when the last Magical Creature died, not when the Wards finally fell and they were exposed to Muggles, not when the last Magical Village fell and not when he was at the end of his own life. Harry finally figured out that it wasn’t just one thing that caused Magic to die but a number of things and by the time he had puzzled it out he was at the end of his life, his Magic slowly draining from his body.

After the next small instance of darkness, Severus opened his eyes but instead of seeing a memory of what might have happened to Harry next, he saw a field. It stretched as far as the eye could see; open and bright and colorful. He couldn’t help but to stare in wonder and awe as he spun in a slow circle trying to memorize this single place; every sight, smell, sound and touch.

The grass flowed in every direction in every shade of green imaginable, it rippled gently in the warm breeze that carded through Severus’ hair and brought up the memory of his mother fingers doing the same and he swore if he listened hard enough he could hear the lullaby she sang to him at night when he was a child.

Just above the horizon on one side the sun sat a bright cheerful yellow, as if a new day had dawned but instead of the sky being blue as expected it was a wealth of color; reds, pinks and oranges that blended into the blue of a perfect summer day then blues and purples of twilight that faded into a velvet black that reflected the starlight of a perfect clear night and on the opposite horizon a large full moon.

Severus had no idea what he was here for but since he had been so busy gaping at the scenery around him he hadn’t noticed the single giant tree in the distance and what looked to be a person standing in front of it. So he began walking toward them, enjoying the quiet crunch of grass beneath his feet, the feel of the breeze and the scent of something that could only be described of as home and comfort.

To Severus it felt like it had taken forever and no time at all before he was standing behind the person in front of a tree so tall it looked to be touching the sky and so wide it felt like it encompassed the entire field. The person was just a few inches shorter than Severus with inky black hair that was braided and tied off at the end with an emerald ribbon at the small of his back. The white linen shirt outlined broad shoulders and a long lean torso while contrasting nicely with his gold skin. Further down leather breeches sat low on narrow hips, trousers hugged a very nicely shaped bottom as well as lithely muscular thighs and calves. He cleared his throat lightly and reigned in his thoughts of the unknown person in front of him. The last thing he saw before the person turned around was slender almost dainty bare feet.

As soon as he locked eyes with the ones before him, Severus knew exactly who it was because there was no mistaking those glowing green eyes and there was no stopping at his jaw unhinging in shock once again. The Harry Potter he had first seen walking into Great Hall was a pretty child with the grace and poise of a noble, the Harry Potter he had seen in the memories had been...cute for lack of a better word, but he also had no grace, ill-fitting clothes and short untamable hair. As an adult he’d been handsome though he had gained some grace thanks to his training even if he had still had overly large clothes and glasses. But this Harry Potter was _beautiful_. The shorter fringe surrounding his face and covering his scar still held some of that untamable wildness to it, his face slender and jaw just a bit more square.

It was the low chuckle and amusement that was clearly shown that forced Severus to shut his mouth with a forceful click. “How...Where...Potter!” It came out a whispered exasperated exclamation. Rarely had Severus ever been struck speechless but this was one of those few times and considering the circumstances it wasn’t a surprise but Severus did not like it. At all.

Harry chuckled once again but tipped his head thoughtfully. “I think this is how I should look once I reach my full maturity as for how I look like this here and now I can only guess that because I am mentally older and we are in my mind, this is how I perceive myself. Now for where we are that is a little more complicated. This is a memory of a place that is not anywhere or when.

Severus sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Explain.”

Harry hummed lightly and shifted in thought. “At the bottom of the Ministry, in the Department of Mysteries there is a doorway they call it the Veil, you saw it in one of my memories when Sirius died he went through it. What the unspeakables think is it’s a doorway to wherever it is that the dead reside and they are right and wrong at the same time. The Veil is a door but not _just_ to where the dead reside, it also leads to pocket dimensions where the Fae from myths have moved to, as well as beings we would know as Angels and Demons. This place can only be accessed from that door and only if Magic herself leads you here.”

Severus listened to all this intently despite the disbelief and doubt that wanted to creep into his mind. “What is this place exactly and why show me?”

“Well, this is where magic resides but it is a physical representation of the beginning and the end, light and dark, up and down, sky and earth and where it all meets and comes together. I am showing you this place because it is probably much easier for me to explain what I am going to do and why in a way that you will hopefully understand because if you don’t you probably won’t help me and while I could do this on my own it would be much easier if I had you with me.”

“You’re rambling, which means I am most likely not going to like what you are going to say. Just spit it out.” Severus growled when Harry finally took a breath.

“Alright just try to listen objectively.” Severus nodded sharply and Harry took a breath before starting his explanation. Harry started out telling the older man the same things he told Theo and Blaise only it took less time since he had a better understanding of the Muggle World and human body than two 11 year old Pureblood Wizards. When he finished he placed his hand on the trunk of the tree.

“This is Fate’s Tree, when she came into existence the seed was planted and when the first person who would make an impact on the World was born, the tree started to grow. This represents people who will have an impact on the World small or large. What is important to understand right now is we are all human, Magical or not and we all have a destiny set by Fate but only some people will affect the World. That Prophecy you heard was a catalyst set in motion by Fate on a grand scale.”

Severus sucked in a sharp breath but said nothing. It was then that Harry began pacing in agitation and muttering to himself. Severus only caught a few words but paid then no attention as he was too caught up with watching the younger man graceful movement even in his irritation and every time he stopped abruptly and pivoted, his braid flew out behind him in a whip like fashion.  The flutter of green ribbon after every ‘snap’, catching his gazing and holding it until Harry once again stopped in front of Severus.   

…

Harry looked up and peered into the depths of Severus’ gleaming obsidian eyes. Before he got lost in shining black he started speaking rapidly, knowing that right at this moment Snape was the Headmaster’s man and unless something drastic happened he would stay that way until the end; weather that end was the war or his own life was a different matter.

“I’ve shown you everything this way for a reason. While it feels like we have been at this for hours, in all actuality it’s only been a few minutes and I needed you to know everything without taking hours to explain it all. I’ve shown you this place because I can project myself here without interfering with the memory. Now that you have seen pretty much everything I need to tell you one last thing. I am planning on bringing the Dark Lord back and I could your help.”

Harry stood stoically while the professor spluttered in outrage. “Why would you do something so monumentally stupid? The Dark Lord was, _is_ , a monster and not only that but he is also the one who killed your parents. After everything you have shown me I understand why you would not want to go along with what the headmaster has planned but…” Severus threw up his hands apparently at a loss for words and had the situation not been so serious, Harry would have been amused by his speechlessness.

Harry waited for Snape to calm as much as was possible before he spoke. “It’s the best solution I could come up with. Yes the Dark Lord killed my parents but I am making the choice to forgive, however I will never forget. If I held a grudge against everyone who was the cause for the death of my parents I would have to hold everyone in the Wizarding World and a few muggles accountable for the Dark Lord turning out the way he had.”

Harry took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “The only person I am holding a major grudge against right now is Pettigrew and he will get what he deserves eventually. I know you don’t like the idea but I believe I can bring him back sane and I will have a bargaining chip when I do.” He tapped at the scar on his forehead. “I hold the smallest sliver of the Dark Lord’s soul not counting the main one that’s free and I will continue holding it guaranteeing his immortality in exchange for his cooperation. If there are any problems I promise I can and will take him out.”

Harry and Severus stood quietly staring at each other. He gave the man a few moments to process before speaking one last time. “I can’t do this alone. I am not a genius like the Dark Lord, I am not a master of any craft like you and I can’t navigate politics like Lucius. I am an average wizard who has the knowledge of any one who could live 500 years, the only thing going for me is I know what could possibly happen in the future and I am a powerhouse, a soldier. That’s it.” He finished quietly and waited.

Severus let out a slow breath. “I need to think before I make a commitment.”

Harry nodded. That was fair he had just dumped all this information on Severus the least he could do was give him time to process it all; so he let the memory fade.   


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since you all were wonderfully patient and all the awesome comments inspired me, I have a new chapter and just a little bit longer than the last. I also would like to know what type of confrontation, between Draco and Harry, would you all like to see?

**Chapter 10**

 

Severus came back to himself with the feeling of Harry gently flowing from his mind like the slow ebb of water receding from the shore. It was a distinctly odd feeling and he pressed his fingers to his temple as he reoriented himself.  Severus blinked rapidly a few times in the dim light before focusing on the boy standing in front of him.

The image of the gorgeous man from the memory superimposed itself over the beautiful boy before him for a moment then dissolved into nothing. He knew however that the man was only gone temporarily and he looked forward to the day that this child grew into the man. He shook his head mentally; it was all very confusing because the boy was only an illusion and he really need to get out of his own head and have a drink before he got lost in thought.    

Severus braced himself and stood without a sound his knees cracking loudly in the silence. “I believe it’s time we all retreated to our beds for the evening.” He straightened his robes and looked down at Harry. “You have given me much to think about. We will meet again tomorrow evening one hour before curfew in my office.” He waited long enough for an affirmative response from all three boys before turning and retreating down the tunnel that lead back to the entrance to his office. At the door to the dungeons he nodded shortly to the muttered good nights and made his way to his own personal quarters.

...

As soon as the portrait closed behind Severus he stripped off his robe, tossed it over the back of a chair without his usual care and immediately went to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a healthy tumbler of Firewhiskey which he then tossed back quickly. He relished the burn as it went down and he breathed in a steady breath as the warmth settled pooling in his stomach calmed his nerves.  With a once again steady hand he poured another glass and walked across the small den to slump down into his favorite comfortable chair, took another fortifying sip of his drink and set it down to press the heels of his hands to his eyes.

There was too much to ponder on and he wished he had someone to talk his thoughts through with. If this had been any other time Severus would have fire-called Lucius; his longtime friend and lover had always been the one he went to for everything but due to the terms of the vow he had no choice but to muddle through it all on his own. The bright spot in everything Harry had revealed to him was the fact he had brought up Lucius’ name with no prompting so he had hope that Lucius would be brought in on the secret and if he wasn’t Severus figure he could always persuade the young man into thinking that it would be a good idea to.

Severus wanted more than anything at that moment was to retreat to his bed with a vial of Dreamless Sleep but there were just so many _things_ circling in his head he didn’t think even a sleeping potion would help. So he tried to order his most immediate and pressing thoughts.

One, Harry Potter wasn’t anything like he thought or imagined he’d be and not only that apparently he had memories from the future. Two, the Dark Lord _listened_ to him, he did as Severus request for the most part and gave Lily a choice; something he never expected. Three, Harry was going to revive the Dark Lord and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He knew now he couldn’t  follow along with the Headmasters plans since that would lead to Harry’s death, even though he would survive and now he had another question to add to his ever growing list of things he wanted to ask the young man; how did he survive the Killing Curse twice?

He was ashamed at his past/future actions and he wished he could curse the him that berated and bulled a child, the him that made a vow but let a child walk to his death without even trying to find an alternate solution to the problem. This whole evening had been a humbling experience and while he didn’t exactly like the feeling he wasn’t going to forget the lesson anytime soon, if ever.

He knew even as the boy asked for his help he wouldn’t deny him no matter what Harry asked. He still had no intentions of telling him no and he had no problem helping Harry with his mission to save Magic, Severus was just weary about helping to bring the Dark Lord back. He had heard many stories about him; from when he was still a student and house mates parroted their parent’s words in the common room.

He remembered hearing from Lucius, Regulus and Bellatrix, their parents all fanatical followers, about how handsome and charismatic he was. The Dark Lord was so powerful his Magic would fill a room as soon as he entered and could make you feel what he was feeling or wanted you to feel and he was a visionary. They spouted his ideals and Severus wanted to follow, he wanted to belong even though he didn’t think he would be welcome because of his blood status. But when Lucius brought him to the Dark Lord the first time all he saw was someone just barely more than a man but not quite the monster he’d seen in Harry’s memories, that didn’t matter when he was welcome with open arms by the Dark Lord and after that moment he had belonged to someone, _something_ , bigger than himself and he made sure to prove himself. Severus did so well proving himself he moved up in the ranks quickly until he was appointed the Dark Lords left hand man, only answering to Lucius and the Dark Lord and that was the proudest moment of his life.

Then the prophecy happened and when he found out that the Dark Lord would be going after Potter and Lily, he bowed and begged for her life never once thinking he would be heard, _listened to_. He went to the Headmaster and did the same thing if only to save Lily, the sister of his soul. From there it was a far fall from what he believed to be prestigious heights. He started serving a master that was biased, instead of brewing potions for the love of the art he now taught children who had no interest in his passion and then Lily was killed; the Dark Lord was gone and so were many of his friends and colleagues, though Lucius and Narcissa stood by him no matter what. He was thankful Lucius and Narcissa never condemned him for his decision, to them family was everything; they understood why he went to Albus.

His thoughts were getting him nowhere fast. The only action he could take was be as helpful as he possibly could be and hope that Harry knew what he was doing and things would turn out well in the end. He would keep his vow this time and protect him to the best of his ability; he would be whatever Harry needed.

…

Back in their shared room the three boys were shuffling into their night clothes while speaking quietly.

“Do you think he’ll help?” Blaise asked, sitting on top of his now closed trunk.

“I can only see one reason really why he wouldn’t but even if he does not he won’t oppose us. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow either way, there’s no point trying to predict what the Professor will do he’s always been a bit of a mystery.” Harry pulled down his covers and climbed into bed.

He covers a wide yawn with his hand when at the exact same time Theo blurts out a random question, “How old are you exactly?”

“Physically I am actually 11 but mentally I’m over 500 years old.” Both their eyes widen in either shock or surprise, Harry’s not sure which but when Theo attempts to ask another question he hold up a hand halting him before he even has a chance to utter a sound. “You can ask whatever you would like tomorrow I’m just too tired for a Q&A session tonight. Just know that I don’t know everything and that there are just some questions I won’t answer because I can’t.”

Theo seemed to be thinking over what Harry said when he nodded sharply, “That’s acceptable.” And Blaise just answered with a quiet ‘alright’ then burrowed beneath his blankets. He Nox’d the lights once they were all settled and thought of Nidhogg fleetingly but didn’t worry too much since if he hadn’t made his way to Harry by tomorrow night they would probably find her with Angitia when they visited the Chamber again.

…

Harry knew the questions were coming and although he really wasn’t looking forward to answering them all he had prepared; he was just thankful they waited until he had drained a cup of tea and started on his breakfast beforehand.

He looks up from his plate at Theo who, for the most part is blank faced but can’t keep the excitement from shining in his eyes, “You are obviously proficient in wordless and wandless Magic, how long did it take you to lean?”

Harry’s fingers twitched against the table as he cast a silent subtle privacy ward around the three of them. “You actually learn how to cast wordlessly in seventh year and as long as you know the theory it’s really not that hard to accomplish, it is just a matter of practice. Wandless Magic on the other hand is much more difficult and took me years to master in my former life because not only do you need to know the theory behind it but you must also have willpower, imagination and be able to connect with your Magical Core which requires a great deal of meditation; I never did have the patience to sit still for long periods of time. This time around only took me about a year to master both since I knew how, I just needed to practice.”

“Would you teach us?” Blaise asked eagerly.

Harry stopped mid chew and thought for a moment. “Yes, I believe we should have enough free time to at least start you both on the basics.”

The two younger boys halted their questions long enough to finish their food while Harry surreptitiously noted the storm brewing. He caught sight of no less than five of his house mates glaring maliciously at him. The confrontation was coming and he was betting that it would happen either that night or the next; most of these Slytherins weren’t as cunning or as subtle as they thought they were.

When Harry, Blaise and Theo were finished eating and no further questions were asked, Harry dispelled the privacy ward and stood to go to their first class with his two new acquaintances following.

They didn’t have much time to talk during their first class since they had Potions. They stood outside the classroom mostly apart from the typical house quarrel. Malfoy and Ron looked remarkably similar from a personality standpoint, once you took a moment to watch with no bias; granted Malfoy had better comebacks but that still didn’t change the fact that they both acted like spoiled brats no matter the house.

It was odd for Harry to watch his former friend be torn down by someone he once hated but with the distance of time and his resolve to stay away from those who he knew would not understand why he was doing what he was doing, it was fairly easy to ignore the friendship they once had and focus on his current goals.

Blaise leaned into his shoulder to whisper to him, “I’m curious, what house were you in before?”

A smirk curled his lips as he nodded to where the Gryffindors were grouped together. Blaise choked slightly then huffed a laugh. Harry’s smirk widened he knew exactly what the boy was thinking but before he could answer the unasked question Snape came stalking down the hall his robes flaring behind him and halting the bickering going on. He opened the door and ushered the students in with a glare.

Harry wasn’t sure why but the Professor stuck to his original speech, except instead of him putting Harry on the spot he chose to pick on the Gryffindors, mainly Ron and Neville, and when they couldn't answering any of his question he went around to various Slytherins who answered all questions correctly earning them 10 points for each answer.

It was much nicer to be on the other side of his poisonous looks and sharp tongue, and for once Harry thoroughly enjoyed Potions. It didn't hurt that he could brew the Boil Cure in his sleep so he was free to observer, _ogle,_ the Professor at his leisure. He couldn't help but to notice little things he'd never thought of before like how he really wasn't all that greasy first thing in the morning and did the man ever really relax; Harry thought back to all their past encounters and realized that Severus _always_ held himself a certain way and his face was _always_ closed off. He noted these absent thoughts but pushed them to the back of his mind for the time being. The class went by fairly fast after that and once they had finished and bottled their potions they were dismissed.

In the hall on their way to the next class the questions started again, though silently. All it took was a cocked eyebrow for Harry to sigh and answer. “What most people don't bother to think about or acknowledge is that every person has the required personality traits to be sorted into any of the houses. The house you _do_ get sorted into just depends on which trait you have in abundance over the others.”

“We all want knowledge but whether it's to just know or to gain power depends. We are all loyal but what are we loyal to? Family, a cause or a house. There are many forms of bravery such as facing your fears head on or knowing that it's okay to run from a battle you can't win. Who is more cunning a Gryffindor who gets away with a brilliant prank or a Slytherin who can talk their way out of trouble. We carry all these traits and more but over time people change and grow, when I was first sorted I was told that Slytherin would help me on the way to greatness but due to the influence of some prejudice people and Malfoy’s initial introduction I begged the hat to place me elsewhere.” Harry flipped his hand in a ‘there you go’ gesture and entered the next class.

They departed from the History of Magic classroom to make their way to lunch where the Q&A session was sure to continue so once again as they sat slightly apart from the rest of the Slytherins, Harry re-cast the privacy ward around the three of them and gestured for them to continue. This time it was Theo who started, “Do you have any plans in motion yet?”

Harry shook his head. “The only plan in motion right now is reviving the Dark Lord. I have plans and idea written down but nothing is set in stone until I meet with him. He is after all one of two major sides in this war and make no mistake, no matter what anyone thinks, the first war never really ended since the Dark Lord didn’t really die. This will be a continuation but I’m hoping that I will be able to steer him into a slightly different direction from before. I understand that there will be death and destruction but it doesn’t have to be needless.”

“So you know where he is?” Theo leaned forward with a slightly manic gleam in his eyes. It was a little odd to see in someone so young but Harry internally shrugged it off. It was bound to show up in some of the hardcore followers and their family members.

“He’s here in the castle.” He answered casually and watched them almost drop their mask in the Great Hall. That little nugget of information silenced them long enough for Harry to eat a few more bites of his food. After a few minutes of stunned silence it looked as if they had nothing to say about the Dark Lord being in the castle with them but theirs expressions went a little more blank and they sat just a bit straighter, Harry hide a smirk behind his goblet of juice.

Theo gathered himself and took a sip of his drink before asking his next question. “What changes would you like, or are looking, to implement?”

“For?” Harry questioned not exactly sure what Theo was asking.

“The school or Ministry or both.”

Now he understood, “Add or bring back classes that have been done away with, replace some teachers and start an apprenticeship program to start with for the school. As for the Ministry there are too many things to list that need to be changed and corrected, to list.”

Theo and Blaise leaned forward just a little bit more, excitement fairly shimmering in the air around them. “What classes would you add?” Blaise quietly voiced as if the privacy ward was not surrounding them.

“Well, back when Hogwarts first started accepting students one of the core classes was fencing which not only taught how to use a sword and disciplined the body, but also helped with dueling; speed, structure and stature. Spellcrafting, how to create a spell and the theory behind the Magic. There was no differentiating between dark and light Magic so there was a class for Magical Arts and Theory as well as Ritual Magic. Not to mention that there used to be clubs for Dueling, Wizard Chess and Gobstones just to name a few.”

“How long would it take to do all that?”

Harry glanced up from his plate at Blaise. “First we would need a new Headmaster since a few of the classes and clubs were demolished because of him and he is also the one who interviews and has final say over who gets hired. Some laws would need to be overturned or changed because of the government separating Magic into categories and outlawing the use of certain types.”

“That’s...Quite a bit of work.” Blaise said appearing slightly worried. “How are you going to manage to change laws?”

Harry hummed lowly wondering exactly how much he should tell them and decided he’d keep most of his ideas to himself until he discussed everything with the Dark Lord and if he wanted his followers to know then they would. “I can’t say right now but I do have a few ideas how we could go about it, I just need to talk to the Dark Lord first. He may want it done differently.”

They nodded, it made sense since no one wanted to go against the Dark Lord. Then again this was Harry Potter and the one person right then willing to bring him back. They got up to follow Harry to Charms both enthusiastically stuck in their own thoughts and wondering how things were going to change in the near future. Hopefully it would be as good as it sounded coming from Harry.

Blaise and Theo seemed to have run out of questions and once Charms ended they went back to talking about inane things in between each class; that is until dinner.

Once seated at what was becoming their usual spot, Theo pulled out a book and proceeded to read while Harry made more notes in his journal. Harry glanced up over the rim of his glasses at Blaise who he could feel staring at him. He closed the book and dropped the quill he was sing on top of it. “You might as well just say whatever it is that’s on your mind.”

Blaise hesitated but eventually started talking. “I just had a thought but I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind me asking a personal question?”

Once the privacy ward was back up he wave a hand at the other boy to continue.

“Well, you said you lived over 500 years, did you have a family?”

Harry rested his head on the palm of his hand and mentally shrugged it’s not like telling them would hurt anything and it was like he’d keep that a secret for any reason. “Yes, I married Ginevra Weasley once I graduated from the Auror Program. We ended up having three children, two boys and a girl. She died at the age of 182 and I faked my death almost a year later, I did however keep an eye on our children and grandchildren for a number of years after.”

Theo had stopped reading when Harry answered Blaise’ question. “Will you pursue her again?”

Harry shook his head. “I had spent my entire life doing what everyone expected and by the time I graduated from Hogwarts I had become so used to doing it and wanting to be ‘normal’ that I just couldn’t and didn’t want to do anything else. So I became an Auror just like my father, I married a woman that reminded everyone of my mother and had children. I loved her but not like I should have, I never regretted my family but I won’t go there again. I am doing what I want, what I believe to be right this time, and I won’t let anyone put blinders on me again. Not only that but I prefer the male form much more than the female form.” Harry smirked at their wide eyed stare.

Purebloods were such prudes. No homosexuality was not discriminated against in the Wizarding World but in pureblood society you were expected to wed in order to have a child to carry on the family name and Magic and once the was a child or two, if the parents agree they had liaisons discreetly and lived their life like that. Harry scoffed silently, so much for that way of thinking almost all family magic had been inbred out. But there was hope for them if they listened all the proof they would need is the Blacks, just look at Tonks, the first metamorphmagus in decades.

“But, what about an heir?”

Harry pointed a finger at Theo, “That is a very good question. I’m sure you remember me telling you about the muggle science that studies DNA?” They both nodded. “Well that’s not all that muggle science has accomplished. They have procedures that can help women who are having trouble conceiving, carry a child. There is also a procedure for those who are sterile or homosexual so that they can have a child of their own; It’s a complicated process but they have a woman who is willing to carry the child for the couple. The only problem with the whole procedure is that usually the child only has the DNA from one of the couple and the rest of the DNA is from a donor. I have a plan to see if we could change that with potions or a spell. For now though it’s all ideas and hypothetical situations.”

“Wow that actually sounds like a great solution, even if I only understood about half of what you said.” Blaise chuckled lightly.

Theo nodded agreeably, “I have a few acquaintances, since their parent’s marriages were arranged, they have a mistress or lover on the side. It would help if what you said about inbreeding was correct and would probably make many happier. Most of our parents will be arranging our marriages within the next year or so and like you I prefer the same and I’ve known since I much younger.”

Blaise shrugged gracefully since they were confessing and all, “I don’t think it matters much to me but I would be happier to pick the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. It’s just arranged marriages are something all purebloods grow up knowing is going to happen.”

Harry tilted his head in acquiescence. “I understand and I’m working on trying to change that way of thinking, it’s just going to take some time. There are too many people in the world who do not like change and will fight it every step of the way.”

Harry stood to finally make his way to the Slytherin common room where they could finish their homework before meeting with the professor. Theo and Blaise follow silently behind; there really was no way to disagree with him since they both knew he was right.

They sat at one of the free tables to finish the three essays they were assigned. Harry completed his faster than the two boys but he sat patiently and help when he could but it really wasn’t needed, they were both very smart. Things went slightly downhill as they were packing their things up to leave. Draco, the self-proclaimed Prince of Slytherin sauntered his way to them followed by his co-conspirator. Harry had been hoping that they would hold off a little bit longer but maybe it was better the confrontation happened now since he was going to try to get Severus to sneak Lord and Lady Malfoy into the castle so he could speak to them.     

 


	11. Urgent A/N

I apologize for the log awaited next chapter but unfortunately I will not have a new chapter up any time soon. I have recently found out my husband of 12 years has been having an affair and I need to take time to get my life together. While writing is my escape from real life, I just will not have the time to continue right now. I have no plans to abandon my fics and I hope that I will be back on my feet sooner rather than later. I thank you all for your understand in this trying time and once again I am sorry.


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I have to say that while I have not replied to anyone who commented on the last chapter, I did read each and everyone. To all of you who commented I cannot tell you how much your support and encouragement means to me in this difficult time. You all have nothing short of amazing and I appreciate each and every one of you even though I don't know you personally. While I have not yet moved past my ex-husband's betrayal I seem to be having a good weekend and inspiration hit so I bring this short chapter to show how greatful I am to have you all as readers.

**Chapter 11**

 

“Potter,” Malfoy drawled in that ridiculously haughty tone that Harry didn't think he could ever forget. “I don't know who you think you are brushing me off like you did last night, but do you know who my father is?”

Harry wanted to roll his eyes, badly, but refrained. “Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy.” He replied in a bored tone.

Draco seemed to be taken aback but Harry wasn't sure if it was because he answered correctly or because he answered at all, but he masked it quickly. “Smart enough to know your betters I see, you should also know then that my father could make your life a miserable hell if you don’t watch your step.” He sneered and took a step closer.

Harry kept his body loose and relaxed, never once letting it show that he noticed Draco and his lackeys palming their wands in what they thought was an unnoticeable way. None had taken their eyes from either boy so Harry made sure the folds of his robe covered the motion of him dropping his wand from his wrist sheath to his hand. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to end this but he did know that he wasn’t going to let any of them see how capable he was of wandless Magic.

“I think I understand how you see things now but let me tell you something Heir Malfoy. I know exactly who your parents are and I hold a great deal of respect for both Lord and Lady Malfoy, however you are nothing but a spoiled little brat trying to play grown up and thinking that riding daddy’s coattails will get you somewhere in life. Sure the Malfoy name will open quite a few doors for you but that’s only because both of your parents have made a name for themselves by whatever means were necessary. Your mother may as well be the queen of purebloods, not only does she know all the best gossip and hold the most popular gatherings but she also is a formidable dueler and healer. Your father on the other hand may use the Malfoy fortune to line pockets to get what he wants but he is cunning enough to not get caught doing it, everyone knows but no one can prove it. You right now are nothing compared to your mother and father.” Harry wiped all emotion from his face just waiting for the inevitable blow up.

It was so very easy to see it was coming too. The blonde’s face turned red with anger, “You filthy little half blood. I’ll show you exactly what I am capable of; you will be nothing more than a bug smeared on the bottom of my shoe, less than your blood traitor father and mudblood mother.” Draco thought he was fast but Harry saw the twitch of his hand just before he raised his wand, the four that followed him raising theirs a second behind. It was then that Harry relaxed the tight ‘fist’ he had around his core and let his Magic flow free.

His Magic crashed through the common room like an ocean wave in the middle of a storm. It coated every single inch with the feeling of icy rage and froze every person in the room. Unfortunately Harry focused the majority of his Magic on the five who had decided to stand against him and it weighted them down; forcing them to their hands and knees. Harry looked over his shoulder at Theo who was standing stiffly just behind and to the left, and nodded his head toward the dorms. It was close enough to curfew that everyone that was not in the common room should have been in the dorms and the prefects wouldn’t be doing their rounds just yet. If he was going to do this Harry decided he’d go big and do it once, he made sure to summon his attackers wands and waited for Theo to return. It only took a few minutes but Harry could have sworn that not one person even twitched, he wasn’t sure if they were even breathing.

Theo re-entered the common room followed by a handful of nervous looking first years and an odd number of various upper years. Harry raised his wand and pointed it at the ceiling, with a quick clockwise circle and a jab he sent a wave of Magic wordlessly up above them and set his personally made privacy wards to cover the room and keep anyone not there from overhearing what was said or revealing it later.

Once done he replace his wand back in it’s holster and dropped his now free hand, again adopting a bored relaxed air. “I have called you here for a reason.” He nodded toward the newly entered children who had all frozen in place in front of the entrance to the dorms. “Tell me can anyone move? Please raise your hand if so.” It never hurt to be polite and he didn’t have to look behind him to see Theo and Blaise with their hands raised. They could feel the Magic but not be affected by it just because he wanted it to be so.

It was clear the struggle everyone put up and when they couldn’t accomplish the simple task of raising their arms multiple faces bloomed with fear. Harry crouched down in front of Malfoy. All five of his housemates were struggling hard enough to sweat, their faces turning pink with exertion. “Raise your heads and look around.” Three of the five obeyed.

In a voice gone cold with clear command he told them once again to raise their heads and look around and they had no choice but to obey. Harry waited until Malfoy was looking directly at him. “I may be a filthy half-blood by your standards but look what I can do to all these purebloods. Let this be a lesson to all of you, blood doesn’t matter and I do not want to hear the word mudblood uttered in my hearing ever again.”

He stood again, “I am Lord Harrison James Potter and I am not who you think I am. Everything you’ve heard, read or been told, forget it because it’s more than likely wrong. I am not Dumbledore’s golden boy and never refer to me as The-Boy-Who-Lived. Attack me or someone I consider mine and you will find out just what I can do and I can guarantee you will not enjoy the show.” Harry looked down at the five boys on the floor, “Stand.” He commanded.

He took a step forward so that he was almost nose to nose with Malfoy, Harry never took his eyes off the blonde but spoke so the whole room could hear. “What you just did was a great show of Gryffindor bold brashness and you are not a Gryffindor. I know you have just as much cunning as your parents so stop hiding behind daddy and be a Slytherin the Hat didn’t put you in this house for no reason. Right now this house has the worst reputation and everyone here just keeps proving them right because very few of you put your cunning to good use.”

“Right now you all are mine  and that means you do not attack each other, you don’t have to like everyone but be respectful, if you’re going to do something against the rules outside of the Common room use a glamor, Notice-Me-Not or Disillusionment spell, if you don’t know them find someone who does to teach you. Stop with the mudblood and blood traitor nonsense, just because you believe it doesn’t mean you have to say it out loud. Don’t give the teachers anything to use against you because right now Professor Snape is really the only one on your side.” Harry, finished with his speech, began pulling his Magic back to his core and clenching a metaphorical fist around it once more; only letting the tiniest amount leak so as not to arouse suspicion from anyone who was sensitive to Magic like the Headmaster.

Harry spun on his heel in one quick move and then looked over his shoulder at the room, “By the way, don’t bother trying to reveal anything that has been said or has happened here, you will find you cannot and if you force yourself to try you will know pain.” Not one person made a sound as Harry strode gracefully from the room, his robes fluttering behind him in a similar way to the Potion Professor.

~

Once the wall closed behind them shutting them out of the Slytherin common room Blaise decided it was okay to speak up, “I am glad you’re on our side, if you weren’t aware, Harry, you’re a little intimidating.”

Harry snickered at the declaration. At the door to Severus’ office Harry stopped and turned to his two companions, “I learned long ago to hold my temper except when it comes to family and loved ones. Keep that in mind and you’ll be fine.” He turned back and knocked on the door three times sharply and waited for Severus called out for them to enter. Severus looked up from his desk long enough to wave at the seats in front of him and bent back over a small stack of papers.

Harry took a seat and pulled out his journal to go over a few things and add some things to his to do list like writing to the Goblins about receiving the Black heir ring since he'd forgotten it the last time he had been there. Once finished he glanced around; Severus looked to be just about finished with what Harry guessed to be assignment markings, Blaise seemed to be reading ahead in his Charms book and Theo was absorbed in a book on rituals. When the Professor was down to his last paper, Harry closed the journal and put it away; Theo and Blaise following his lead put their things away and the stripped off their robes stowing them in theirs bags as well. Severus stood and waited for Harry to cast impervious charms on the three of them, since they weren't going to be sliding down a slimy dirty tunnel, and bid them to follow him to his office.

The Potion Master held the door open as the boys preceded him into the room. He closed the door with a quiet click then put a silent alarm on the door to alert him if anyone came knocking. Harry turned to the hidden door in the bookcase when Severus finished casting. With a hissed ‘open’ and the sound of grinding stone and clinking glass the door opened for the four Wizards to enter the tunnel leading to the Chamber. Severus and the two younger boys waited for Harry to close the door behind them and let him lead the way into the largest room.

The walk there was silent except for their footsteps echoing off the stone around them and the sound of water dripping. The mouth of Slytherin’s statue still stood open and with no sign of the Basilisk in the surrounding Chamber, Harry figured she was most likely inside with his familiar. In the middle of the room Severus, Theo and Blaise stopped to let Harry approach the opening of Angitia’s nest alone.

Not knowing how territorial the Basilisk was about her nest he made no attempt to enter. _$Angitia? Nidhogg?$_ Harry called from the opening. When the sound of scales on stone came he backed away slightly to give her room to exit. He averted his eyes just in case and let her scent him while Nidhogg slithered out next to her.

_$You may look upon myself, one called Harry.$_

Harry looked up with a relieve sigh. _$How was your hunt? $_

_$It was satisfying. I thank you for clearing the way for me.$_ She nudged her snout against his chest and he lifted his hand to scratch at the scales along her jaw.

_$As long as you are not seen I'll leave you to come and go as you please. If anything happens to the students the headmaster will become suspicious.$_

_$Understood. I will be cautious, I am enjoying my freedom after so long and having your familiar around to keep me company has been a source of great comfort.$_

_$My companions and myself will be moving around the Chamber again tonight, I will alert you when we leave.$_ Harry informed Angitia before stroking her smooth scales one last time and turned to his companions.

Harry listened to Nidhogg’s excited ramblings with half an ear while he sent Blaise and Theo off together so he could speak with Severus alone. While he thought of what he wanted to say to the Professor he moved to large stone snakes lining the main chamber. Until they found a way to drain or syphon the water here there wasn’t much they could do, however he could make it look a little better by Scourigifying the mold and grime off the statues. He caught sight of Severus from the corner of his eye doing the same thing on the opposite side of the walkway.

“Professor-”

“Severus,” The older man interrupted quickly. “I think, considering the circumstances, you may call me Severus in private.”

Harry’s wand froze for a split second in surprise before resuming. He glanced over his shoulder at Severus’ back. “Severus then, I was wondering if you perhaps knew a way to get someone in the school without the Headmaster noticing?”

The Professor angled his body so that he could continue the conversation while he worked on the remaining statues. “Yes, may I inquire as to why you are asking?”

Harry’s lips twitched at the familiar way Severus spoke. “There are only three more people I plan to bring on this including revealing my secret; Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy first. I will need both of them if we plan to bring the Dark Lord back successfully.”

“The Headmaster monitors the Floo Network, he does not know specifics but he will know if someone enters the castle in that manner. However I do know a way around that. Who will be the third person?” Severus asked although he had an idea who it would be.

“The Dark Lord, I would not be able to keep it from him and if he and I are so alike, he would not tolerate being lied to. Not only that but the truth in this case may be the only way to get him to go back to his original goals and change some of his more...Unreasonable ones, like killing all muggles.”

Severus nodded at the confirmation of what he already suspected. “I understand why you would want or need Lucius brought into the fold, but why Narcissa?”

Harry stopped what he was doing and turned to face his Professor. “You already know about the Horcrux from my memories so you know that Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup is one. What I didn’t show you, only because it was that important, is the Dark Lord gave it to Bellatrix to keep safe. She put it in her vault at Gringotts; since she is incarcerated at the moment as is her husband Narcissa, as closest living relative, has access to Bellatrix vault.”

He hesitated and dropped his voice a little more. “Everyone knows that purebloods are all related in some way because of intermarrying, but my grandfather Charlus Potter married Dorea Black. There are four living Blacks at the moment, the last and closest family I have; Andromeda, Bellatrix, Narcissa and Sirius. When my parents were killed I should have gone to Sirius, he was head of the Black family and my legally appointed Godfather but he was incarcerated as was Bellatrix eventually and while Andromeda is related but blood she has no legal claim because she was disowned. So I must ask Narcissa, and since she is married to Lucius, if they would be willing to take custody of me.”

Severus saw enough in the boy’s memories to know why he would ask the Malfoys to take guardianship of him and didn’t bring up what was unspoken. “What about Black?” He asked instead, knowing the boy’s Godfather was innocent.

“I have a plan to get Sirius cleared after Narcissa files the needed paperwork, if she agrees but I have no plans to let him take custody of me if that’s the case. Sirius wouldn’t understand why I am doing this and his prejudice has run too deep for too long for him to change and work civilly with people he’s hated all his life. I love Sirius, he’s family but in that other life I loved what he represented more; escape and freedom. I don’t need it anymore but I understand now that he’s too selfish to be a parental figure, he gave no thought to my well-being the night of my parents murder other than to hand me off to Hagrid and if I had let things continue the way they would have he wouldn’t have escaped for me it would have been for revenge again.”

For a split second Severus felt pity for the child Harry had once been but kept it masked, he knew from experience how well pity would be received. “I have little doubt the Malfoy’s would refuse your proposal especially in light of this new development, but what would you do if they said no?”

Harry shrugged and turned back to his work, they were just about finished and then they could head back for the night. “I would continue with my plans and as long as Sirius did as the Wizengamot commanded such as getting mentally and physically fit, he would be able to gain custody of me. That wouldn’t be so bad but I would be limited in what I would be able to do and go since I would most likely be watched by him and the Headmaster during the summer as well as the school year.”

“True.” They went back to their statues in silence and finished quickly. Severus waved his wand and cast a silent Tempus. “It is still early enough. Collect your roommates and we shall retire for the night. I will speak with Lucius tonight with your permission to reveal everything. When do you need to meet with them?”

“By Thursday, I will need them to gather the final items before the weekend. We will do the ritual on Saturday at sundown since I am not sure how draining it will be. You have my permission to reveal whatever you think in necessary.” Harry conjured his Patronus and sent it off to recall Blaise and Theo since he didn’t really feel like searching the tunnels for them And Severus left taking the tunnel back to his office.

Harry gently stroked the top of Nidhogg’s head while he lost himself in thought. He was curious about how the conversation between the Potion Master and Lucius would go. He hadn’t ever made the effort to know either man personally and he was glad he’d have the chance this time. He also wondered how the future was going to turn out this time. As it was right now there would be no opening of the Chamber since he would have used the Diary for the ritual and Sirius would not escape from Azkaban because Harry would have gotten him a trial before Third year.

Harry did wonder about the Triwizard Tournament though. Was that brought back because the Dark Lord had someone in the Ministry to push for it, was it just the Ministry that did it and the Dark Lord took advantage or did the Headmaster manipulate things once again? There were too many questions and not enough answers and that was one of the reasons Harry was excited to be bringing the Dark Lord back. At his best the man was a genius and master of his craft, granted he was also sadistic and diabolical but a genius none the less. Harry couldn’t wait to lay all this out with him and get his take on the situation and see what they couldn’t come up with together.  

He had no more time to ponder on thoughts of the future when Blaise and Theo met back at the main Chamber with him and they made their way back to an almost empty Common room. If Harry had the energy he would have wondered when or where the next confrontation with the youngest Malfoy would come. But he figured he’d worry about that tomorrow and just made his way past the few people in the Common Room with his roommates following behind him.

~

Severus closed the door to his personal quarters and sagged against it. These next few years were going to be difficult and he could only hope Harry knew what he doing. He straightened and pulled off his robes to throw over the back of a chair and went right to his liquor cabinet to pour himself a healthy serving of firewhiskey.

He threw back the first tumbler then poured another and sat it on the table next to his favorite chair. Palming his wand, Severus went to the fireplace and began to widen the hole in the ward that would alert the Headmaster to anyone coming or going through the Floo. With that done he took a handful of Floo Powder and tossed it in calling out Lucius Office at Malfoy Manor.

As expected the Lord of the manor was sitting behind his desk reading. Lucius looked up at the sound of the Floo activating and stood, “Severus, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. Is something wrong?”

“No Lucius but if you have the time I need for you to step through.” Severus said impetuously.

“Certainly, just give me a moment and I’ll be right through.”

Severus pulled his head from the magical fire and went to his chair to sit and wait. He assumed Lucius would call a house elf to alert Narcissa to where he had gone. He sipped at his drink and the fire flared less than a handful of minutes later. “Help yourself to a beverage and take a seat. This is important and it will probably take some time.”          

 


End file.
